True(r) Costs of Water Supply: A Florida Case Study

From Section 4-Working With Water Utilities to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Water, of Track B-Warming Watersheds, from River Network's Winter Training 2010, Jennison Kipp of the University of Florida--in her presentation True(r) Costs of Water Supply: A Florida Case Study--explores the differing internal and external costs of different water supplies in Florida.

Pumping, treating and heating water in the United States requires at least 520 billion kilowatt hours per year – equivalent to 13% of U.S. electricity consumption with a carbon footprint of over 290 million metric tons, which means that there is huge potential to reduce the impacts of global warming by saving water. How can local groups work with utilities to promote water conservation policies and get answers to questions about energy use? What results are we seeing with current water conservation pilot projects and related energy conservation programs? How can you reduce water use in your community?