Water efficiency in CA...

NRDC released a report yesterday on reducing the amount of water used by California's commercial, industrial, and institutional (CII) sector, which uses 2.5 million acre-feet annually, or 1/3 of the water consumed in the state's urban areas.  I haven't yet had a chance to read the full paper but skimmed the executive summary.  A couple of findings jumped out at me: 

(1) According to the group's analysis, by adopting the recommended measures, California's CII sector could collectively cut water use by up to 50% (thereby saving 1.3 million acre-feet per year).

 (2) Individual organizations could potentially tap public agencies and/or utilities to offset capital costs associated with expenditures to increase water efficiency, and would typically begin to realize savings (on water and wastewater bills) after an average estimated payback period of between 1 and 4 years (and generally less than 2 1/2 years).

Very cool stuff, and definitely deserves a full read-through.

Innovation station

While perusing the Environmental Defense webpage today, I found a very cool Innovations Review section wherein ED examines new and interesting products and techniques that make sense from both the business and environmental perspectives.  Since managing watering operations in my very small garden can prove exceedingly tricky, my favorite innovations focus on managing water more efficiently by accounting for weather patterns and soil moisture.  But there's also an exciting bit about Iowa soybean farmers practicing "adaptive nutrient management" -- using aerial imagery, GPS, yield-calculating combines, and off-season meetings -- to optimize fertilizer application and balance expenditures on fertilizer with improvements in yield.  I strongly encourage you to check out the remainder of the innovations, here.

Milwaukee = water hub

On Tuesday, the UN announced that it would add Milwaukee to its list of Global Compact Cities for its commitment to research and innovation in water technology.  The Milwaukee 7 Water Council and the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee worked for a year to earn the distinction.  Now the city must carry out water quality projects that can be emulated by other cities around the globe.  Check out an article detailing the UN distinction in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel here and the Milwaukee 7 website here.