Monday, April 29, 2013

Nanaimo Water Use Lower Than National Average


Water audit completed: Nanaimo water use below national average

The City has completed its first Water Audit to better understand water consumption and demands. The first stage of the audit involved analysis of water meter information to determine how much water is used by various user types. The second stage involved field work to validate the results from the desk top analysis.

The results were very encouraging. Nanaimo residents on average use 251 litres of water per person per day, below the provincial and national averages (353 litres/person/day and 274 litres/person/day respectively). The total commercial, residential and industrial average water use is 492 litres per person per day which is also below provincial and national averages (606 litres/person/day and 510 litres/person/day respectively).

The study found that the City’s 620km of water supply and distribution piping is ‘tight’ and well maintained. The Water Audit identified leakage as less than 10%, lower than many other Canadian municipalities.

Key findings from the study include: the City’s bulk water meters are accurate, which validates the Audit’s findings; that half of the City’s industrial and commercial water meters are oversized and under recording; residential water meters in the City have an average age of 14 years and were found to be 98% accurate, but lose accuracy after 24 years. (Residents and businesses should note that inaccurate water meters tend to read low.)

The Water Audit report provided the following key recommendations:
  • Updating the City Engineering Standards to include specifications for correct large diameter water meter sizing.
  • Allocate additional funding to replace older residential meters and oversized larger commercial and industrial water meters resulting in significant savings over the long term
  • Undertake future audits to monitor trends in consumption and losses.
Findings from the Water Audit report are being incorporated into the City’s Water Conservation Strategy update.

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