8/3/2019 Canada; A Guide to Wise Water Use - Hamilton, Ontario
1/11
REVISED 2007
8/3/2019 Canada; A Guide to Wise Water Use - Hamilton, Ontario
2/11
1
A Guide toPreservingHamiltons
FreshwaterResourcesThis guide is designed to help you and
your family reduce your use of naturesmost precious resource.
A Precious ResourceWater is a necessity of lifenot only to you and me butto all living things.
Water makes up about 70% of our body weight and weneed to drink about two litres per day to help us stay healthy.
Water improves the quality of our lives. Water is used to produce power,grow food, and manufacture goods. It also provides ways of transporting
people and products all over the world. We use water everyday at home andat work in so many ways that we often take it for granted.
Water is constantly being re-circulated. This means that water isnt just used,its re-used. The water we see and use today is the same water that was here
when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. Think about that the next time youflush the toilet or have a glass of water.
Hamiltonresidents,
industries,and
theCity
mustcontinue
withefforts
toimprovewa
terquality.
Thiswillbenef
ithuman
healthandthelivesofth
e
wildlifewesha
reitwith. Green Heron
8/3/2019 Canada; A Guide to Wise Water Use - Hamilton, Ontario
3/11
3
Reduced Run-off PollutionCapturing rainfall, diverting downspouts, and using water wisely outdoorscan help reduce pollution caused by run-off. Capturing rain and using itinstead of treated water on lawns and gardens also reduces the need forenergy-consuming treated water.
Deferred Infrastructure CostsReducing our water use as a community can help defer millions of dollars
worth of operating and maintenance costs associated with upgrading thewater and wastewater treatment plants.
Reduced Pollution Discharged into Hamilton HarbourNutrients are a pollution concern in Hamilton Harbour that cause excessivealgae growth. Sewage treatment plants represent a considerable source ofnutrient loading to the harbour. Reducing the amount of wastewater through
Wise Water Use can help decrease the amount of sewage that is required tobe treated.
Thechoiceswemakein
oureverydayl
ivescanhave
positiveor
negativeeffe
ctsonwater
quality
andtheenviro
nment.
UseAGuidetoWiseWaterUsetomaketherightchoices.
It's up It's up
Bay Front Park, Hamilton Harbour
8/3/2019 Canada; A Guide to Wise Water Use - Hamilton, Ontario
4/115
400
300
200
100
0
UnitedStates380 Litres
Canada335 Litres
Italy250 Litres
Sweden200 Litres
Litres of water per person per dayDomestic Water Use by Country
Adapted from Environment Canada
How Much Water Do We Use?According to Environment Canada, Canadian residential consumersuse roughly twice as much water per person as compared to otherindustrialized countries, with the exception of the
United States.In 2001, the average Canadianresident used 335 litres of
water per day, just indoors!This amount can increase by50% in the summer months.
UsetheGuideto
WiseWaterU
setoprevent
wastingwate
r,helpreduce
your
utilitycosts,
andprotecto
ur
waterresource
s.
8/3/2019 Canada; A Guide to Wise Water Use - Hamilton, Ontario
5/11
Showers & BathsThe average 5-minute shower uses 100 litres of
water. The average bathtub requires up to 200litres to fill.
The following chart shows what showers andbaths can cost an average family:
Heatingwater
costsmuch
morethanthe
wateritself.
Studiesshow
thatinstalling
alow-flow
showerheadca
nsavethe
averagefamilyoffourar
ound
$570.00pery
ear!
Family Showers Baths Annual Annual Annual
Member / Week / Week Water Use Water Cost Energy Cost Total Costs
Mom 6 1 38,064 $69.66 $186.51 $256.17
Dad 7 0 36,400 $66.61 $178.36 $244.97
Young Child 0 3 20,592 $37.68 $100.90 $138.58
Teenager 10 0 104,000 $190.32 $509.60 $699.92Total Family Water Use 199,056 $364.27 $975.37 $1,339.64* Based on 2007 water rate of $1.826 ($0.913 for water + $0.913 for sewer). 20 litres per minute showerhead. 5-minute showers for
Mom and Dad, 10-minute showers for Teenager, and filling an average-sized bathtub 2/3 full. Electricity at $0.10/kWh. Cost to heat water
at $0.007/litre. 70% hot and 30% cold water split.
7
8/3/2019 Canada; A Guide to Wise Water Use - Hamilton, Ontario
6/11
8/3/2019 Canada; A Guide to Wise Water Use - Hamilton, Ontario
7/11
LaundryCompare the energy and water costs for washersbased on an average family of four use.
This family could save around $230.00 per year by switching from an oldwasher to a new Energy Star rated model. In addition to these savings, there
can also be unseen savings. Especially withfront-loading clothes washers:
1/3 less water means buying 1/3 lesslaundry soap
higher spinning speed means less time in thedryer = less energy costs!
Before buying a new appliance, always check
the EnerGuide website. There you will learnabout your options for water and energysavings for new appliances -
www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/.
You can also find out the costs to operateyour old appliances on the EnerGuide website.This information could save your household
hundreds of dollars in utility costs.
11
Thetimespent
researchingne
wappliances
andlearningt
hecoststo
operateoldapp
liances
couldsaveyourhouseh
old
hundredsofdo
llars.
Annual Annual
Energy Use Water Cost Total
20 years old $124.30 $149.94 $274.24
New Energy Star Rated $9.50 $31.32 $40.82
* Source - EnerGuide* Based on EnerGuide standards of 392 cycles per year, or approximately 7.5 loads per week.
8/3/2019 Canada; A Guide to Wise Water Use - Hamilton, Ontario
8/11
13
LeaksLeaks, especially in toilets, may be difficult todetect and can waste large amounts of water.Fixing these leaks can be inexpensive and cansave a lot of water!
Toilet leaksA leaking toilet can waste up to 400,000 litres of water, orthe equivalent of around $730.00 per year! (the cost of a few new toilets).
Flapper valves function as a gasket between the toilet tank and bowl and arethe most common source of a toilet leak. Flapper valves can sometimes fail
with use and wear, which releases a steady flow of water from the toilet tank
to the bowl.To check to see if you have a leaking toilet tank, place dye tablets or a littlefood colouring into the tank. Wait 20-30 minutes, if there is colour in thebowl, then you know you have a leak.
Cootes Paradise.
Leakytapsan
d
toiletscanco
st
youhundredso
f
dollarsinwas
ted
waterevery
year!
8/3/2019 Canada; A Guide to Wise Water Use - Hamilton, Ontario
9/11
15
OutdoorsThe average Canadian uses around335 litres of water everyday - justindoors! In the summer months, thisuse can increase by as much as 50%.
Environment Canada states that up to50% of the water we use outdoors is
wasted. This can equate to thousands andthousands of litres of water being wastedfrom a single household every year.
Hamiltons Waterworks By-law
R84-026 restricts lawn and gardenwatering to every other day. Even-numbered municipal addresses are
permitted to water on even-numbered days
Odd-numbered municipal addresses arepermitted to water on odd-numbered days
Residents without a municipal address, located
on the west and north sides of the street arepermitted to water on even-numbered days
Residents without a municipal address, locatedon the east and south sides of the street arepermitted to water on odd-numbered days
Healthy lawn watering tips
Lawns require only 1 of water, once a week Over watering can cause damage
Keep track of rainfall; only water your lawn if rainfall is not enough
Water early in the morning or evening to avoid evaporation
Keep grass cut a minimum of 3 to prevent evaporation, crowd out weeds,and promote deep roots
Aerate compact soils for better water infiltration and increased oxygen
exchange with grass roots Limit or eliminate chemical pesticide and fertilizer use; these can lead to
poor lawn health
Anoutdoorgar
den
hosethatruns
for4
hoursperweek
from
JunetoSeptem
bercan
useover130,000litre
s
ofwaterperyear!
That'senough
watertofilltwo
medium-sized
swimmingpool
s.
8/3/2019 Canada; A Guide to Wise Water Use - Hamilton, Ontario
10/11
8/3/2019 Canada; A Guide to Wise Water Use - Hamilton, Ontario
11/11
GUIDE TO WISE WATER USE REVISED 2007
PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
TheWise Water Use
program is a partnership betweenthe City of Hamilton's Public WorksDepartment and Green Venture.
Since 2001, theWise Water Use
program has helped reduce utilitybills and protect our local water
resources.
For more information or to bookan EcoHouse Tour, please visit
www.hamilton.ca/water
or call905546CITY(2489)