When Gov. Jerry Brown called on Californians to reduce their water use by 25 percent in response to a four-year drought, it seemed like an impossible goal. But between June 2015 and April 2016, when restrictions were in effect, residents actually reduced the amount of water they used by 24.5 percent, a reduction of 524 billion gallons. Further research revealed additional unexpected side effects to this massive water conservation experiment. California residents weren’t just saving water, they were also saving energy.

Every property will experience both indoor and outdoor water leaks as plumbing naturally ages. Fixtures and fittings are particularly susceptible to leaking, and excessive water pressure can cause pipes to burst or leak over time. Identifying the existence of leaks using monthly water bills means that non-visible leaks will go undiscovered for long periods of time.

Internet of Things (IoT) devices and sensor technology are becoming more common in commercial building management. This smart building technology provides building owners and occupants with real-time data that can drive or automate decisions, reduce costs and waste less resources.

Sustainable investing is the future, according to Audrey Choi, chief sustainability officer for Morgan Stanley. Women and millennials are driving investor interest in sustainability, she noted, whose combined constituencies will make up three-quarters of the workforce by 2025 and are three times more likely to seek out employment with a sustainably minded company.   

A downtown Dallas neighborhood is getting smarter through a technology-enabled smart city pilot project. Rolled out in Dallas’ West End, the pilot includes intelligent LED street lighting, kiosks with digital maps of the area, public Wi-Fi, and smart irrigation systems.

Often taken for granted, most Americans benefit from the world’s most reliable and clean water system. In many parts of the United States, our water use is still being driven from a mindset that it is plentiful, available, and inexpensive. But those days are changing.

After nine years of research, the California State Water Control Board finalized a plan to save fish and wildlife populations, some of which are now threatened or endangered. For decades, native fish and wildlife co-existed with efforts to reclaim or divert water from the California Bay-Delta region.

The H-2B visa program has become a casualty in the larger war over immigration, with many landscaping businesses caught in the middle. The H-2B visa program determines how many temporary non-agricultural workers can work in the US every year. The current cap of 66,000 was temporarily increased to 81,000, and roughly half of them are landscapers.

A survey of state water managers around the nation predicts freshwater shortages in 40 states over the next decade. So, before turning faucets on with reckless abandon, consider 9 water saving habits hang onto, drought or not.

The California drought is officially over. The amount of water collected last winter put the state’s reservoirs in decent shape with several of them at or above average. But the largest water source, the Sierra snowpack, measured at only 52 percent of average. As we enter a “new normal” characterized by greater weather extremes, the desire to use water carefully remains.

Everyone knows that cooling towers consume huge volumes of water, as much as 50 percent of a building’s domestic water use. But by following a few best practices, facilities can save significant amounts of water. Here are 8 ways to maximize cooling tower efficiency and lower water consumption.

A large number of commercial campuses and parks nationwide rely on traditional timer-based controllers to water their expansive landscapes. Rain or shine, they reliably turn sprinklers on and off to water at the scheduled times. Because it’s really time consuming to manually shut off controllers when it rains, a tremendous amount of water gets wasted.

Leaks and pipe breaks can and do happen at any time. While some are obvious, others can go unnoticed for a very long time, causing significant damage. Hidden leaks or pipe breaks often rack up high water bills before the problem is discovered and repaired. Fortunately, smart water technology exists to help property owners and managers monitor their water use and give enough warning to fix leaks or address poor irrigation practices. HydroPoint® WaterCompass is one of these solutions.