Chapter 8 – Water Resource Planning

1. Chapter 8 – Water Resource Planning

2. 8.1 Introduction • Water is critical for life • Climate change is exacerbating the normal weather patterns • Use LCA to reveal inefficiencies • Water in LCA • Water as impact – resource used in mfg • Water as functional unit – provide a service

3. 8.2 Water as an Indicator • Could sum water use like we would sum CO2 emissions • Or handle like fossil fuels depleted • Difficulty with applying to specific site • Rice grown in Arkansas • Rice grown in New Mexico

4. 8.2 - Eutrophication • Eutrophication potential – maybe looking at N or P transport • Assessing potential environmental damage • Way to characterize water • Use – water utilized and returned • Maybe expand system boundary to include other uses • Consumption – water used and denied to others • Depletion – water is not renewed by hydrological cycle

5. 8.2 Difficulties with Water Use • How to handle location specific • Arid area • Humid area

6. 8.3 Synthetic Water Systems • Water saving options • Greywater use due to drought • Rain barrels • Water treatment steps • Primary removes sand, oils, fats • Secondary removes biological content and detergents using fixed film or suspended growth systems • Tertiary removes residual toxins and nutrient through filter, wetlands or lagoons • Final is UV, chlorination, or ozone

7. Fig 8.5 Horne et al., 2009

8. 8.5 Conclusions • Finite supply of drinking water • Water as an indicator of system impact is difficult to interpret • Inventory item, not directly environmental damage • Problems with seasonality of rainfall • People expect water all the time • Drought • Water storage needs