Implementing Water Conservation Goals at Federal Facilities: Lessons Learned

Executive Order 13123 (June 1999) directed Federal agencies to improve water-use efficiency at government-owned facilities. The order required agencies to determine their water consumption and establish a goal for reducing it. Under the leadership of the Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) and National Renewal Energy Laboratory (NREL), representatives from severalagencies established a working group to recommend guidelines and methods for improving water efficiency. Some agencies were already implementing effective conservation measures. However, many agencies lacked ways to determine how much water they were using or what it cost. In 1999, FEMP established methods agencies can use to identify baseline water usage and set reasonable water efficiencyimprovement goals. As a result, 10 Best Management Practices (BMPs), similar to those established by the California Urban Water Conservation Council, were developed for Federal water efficiency. The Federal BMPs focus on office water use, landscaping, heating and cooling, leak detection, and education. They emphasize flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and creativity. This paper describes thesemethods for determining baseline usage, selecting appropriate BMPs for a facility, and meeting efficiency goals. It also includes lessons learned throughout the process.