Guidelines for water efficiency in publicly funded buildings and properties

The following minimum guidelines apply to publicly funded properties that are leased, rented, purchased, renovated or constructed.

Building managers should identify all possible water management opportunities; that apply to: cooling and heating systems, process and equipment use, sanitary, kitchen and domestic use, maintenance and landscaping operations.

Target efforts on:

• Using minimum amounts of water to accomplish the task
• Recirculating water within a process or group of processes
• Reusing water sequentially
• Treating and reclaiming water
• Displacing potable water supplies with water from non-potable sources
• Installing meters

Increase management and employee awareness of the need to use water efficiently:

• Exhibit stickers in public washrooms and display signs announcing water efficiency.
• Ensure meters are installed in all buildings and at all high-flow processes and equipment.
• Equip washrooms with water efficient fixtures and fittings with the following flow rates (lower flow rates are acceptable if Canadian Standards Association approved):
  • Toilets 6 litres per flush
  • Urinals 3.77 litres per flush
  • Faucets aerators 8.36 litres per minute
  • Showerheads 9.77 litres per minute
• Replace or retrofit tank toilets using more than 6 litres per flush.
• Fit continuous flush urinals with timers or sensors and inspect flushometer valves with reversible conserving rings or determine other modifications that reduce flow.
• Eliminate all single-pass water use for cooling purposes. Investigate all possibilities for reclaiming and reusing water, including closed-loop cooling systems.
• Do not use water softening, reverse osmosis, or de-ionized water where it is not critical.
• Discontinue using water to clean sidewalks, driveways and other landscape features.
• Design and maintain landscapes that conserve water:
  • Install irrigation systems with separate valves that allow separate irrigation of turf, flowers, ground covers, trees and scrubs.
  • Operate sprinkler systems before 11 am and after 5 pm to reduce evaporation effects. Do not over water – calculate application rates according to the plant's growing requirements and the site's slope and soil conditions.
  • Use deep watering practices, and apply water not more than twice a week, restrict application rates to 2.5 centimetres (or less) of water a week, adjusted by rainfall.
  • Position irrigation spray heads to minimize runoff onto sidewalks and streets.
  • Apply xeriscape principles to the development of all new landscapes – reduce total turf area, select appropriate plants, use mulches, amend soils and incorporate practical hard surfaces.
  • Use automatic irrigation systems equipped with moisture sensors. Ensure systems adjust or reprogram for rainfall.
  • Mow turf no lower than 5 centimetres in height.

Developed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Use Efficiency Task Group, July 1995.