COVID-19 has taken the wind out of school budgets. All the plans made a year ago were soon out the window as schools around the country began to grapple with the pandemic. Planned purchases were canceled, as were school classes. While some schools did open, in many cases it was short-lived due to new waves of the pandemic.

However, it looks like in 2021, with the introduction of vaccines, things will be better. At the very least, the vaccines may bring some stability so that schools can plan a budget and stick with it, and even more critical, open their doors and stay open.

However, financially, they may be harder pressed than ever before. They will need to find more ways to reduce costs, especially when it comes to operating budgets. While it may be overlooked, one way school districts can reduce operating costs is to reduce water consumption. Districts pay for water in two different and very distinct ways:

1. The actual charges for the water by the utility company.

2. The charges for the tremendous amount of energy it takes to pump, deliver, remove, and treat the water.

In all too many cases, it is this second charge—for the energy needed to transport and treat water—that is the major cost we pay for water. Further, many districts may not even be aware of this.

To reduce costs, we need to reduce water consumption, which means we need to bring back water sustainability, something that has also fallen by the wayside due to the pandemic. But first, to begin the process, let us define what we mean by water sustainability. A working definition follows:

As it applies to schools, water sustainability is the minimization of water consumption by making changes in the behaviors of school water users and the introduction and application of water efficiency technologies.

Changing Behaviors

Re-instituting water sustainability into schools may be easier than we think, even though it has taken a temporary back seat to the pandemic. Younger people remain very sustainability-focused and, according to Deloitte’s 2020 Global Millennial Survey, which had millennials and Gen Zs in 43 countries participating, these people, “are deeply affected by the pandemic but seem able to see opportunity in the darkness. [They are] hoping for a better world to emerge after the COVID-19 pandemic releases its grip on society [and] they want to lead the change.”

How can we help them accomplish this? Among the steps that can be taken are the following:

· Create an online log where students and staff can report damaged or leaking water-using fixtures and appliances. We need to make it easy to “see something, say something.” More about water leaks later.

· Hold meetings and discuss with students and staff how they can reduce water consumption in the school.

· Create school-wide, realistic water-reduction goals.

· Teach water sustainability and its importance to the school and the community.

· Encourage children to start water projects, such as finding ways to capture rainwater for irrigation and re-use gray water.

· Discuss how climate change is impacting water sustainability and availability.

· Make the most of messaging. Create banners, posters, and colorful signs encouraging water conservation and water efficiency (long-term water conservation).

· Update water-reduction progress. Improvements tend to encourage more improvements.

· Honor those that come up with “bright ideas” to help reduce water consumption.  Once again, this encourages improvements.

· Teach students and staff how to read water meters. At first view, these meters appear to be overly complicated. However, a closer examination—with explanation—helps students understand what the meters are reporting. The goal here is to make water consumption more transparent.

Invariably, once these programs begin, new ideas evolve. Sustainability, whether it involves water, energy, fuel, or any other metric, is always a journey and new ideas invariably develop while on that journey.

Water Efficiency Technologies

Installing water-reducing technologies can cost money. Because of this, schools need to consider three things:

·    Amount of money they can spend now for new technologies that reduce water consumption

·    Areas of the school in which they can get the most bang for their water-reducing buck

·    Return on the investment of these new technologies

For instance, installing new heating and cooling systems may not be feasible due to costs. Additionally, new landscaping that requires less water may also prove too costly at this juncture.

In many cases, schools can get the most “bang for the buck” by focusing on restrooms. In fact, in inner-city schools, most of the water consumed is in restrooms. In suburban schools, it may be second only to irrigation.

So, what can we do? Among the steps are the following:

·    Conduct a water-leak audit. This can be done by in-house staffers.  In the average home, 10,000 gallons of water are wasted each year due to leaks. This gives you an idea of just how many thousands of gallons of water are wasted in schools each year.

·    Install water aerators in all faucets everywhere in the school. Very inexpensive, these can slow down water use from 2.2 gallons per minute to less than 1.5. The return on the investment (ROI) of aerators is very quick.

·    Install dual-control toilets. These are designed to use about one gallon of water per flush. ROI can vary due to many factors but is usually two to three years.

·    Install “high efficiency kits” designed to reduce water consumption in toilets.

·    Install low-flow or no-water urinals. Some schools prefer no-water urinals, also known as waterless urinals, because they typically cost less to purchase and install; the return on the investment is faster, usually less than two years; and each urinal eliminates the use of about 35,000 gallons of water annually.

·    Place containers under drinking fountains and taps to collect water. This water can be used for irrigation.

·    Related to this, water reclamation systems are now available that can be installed under sinks. Costs can vary, which means the ROI can vary. But these units may be able to transfer as much as 6,000 gallons of water that would normally go down the drain for re-use as irrigation.

·    While costs may make it prohibitive to replace heating and cooling systems, these units should be checked each year to see that they are using water as efficiently as possible.

Finally, when it comes to water-reducing technologies, do not go it alone. Work with local water experts and plumbers to find out what systems are available that can most expeditiously, and cost-effectively, reduce consumption in your school. Also, learn what other school districts are doing to reduce water consumption. Learning from each other is one of the best ways to make water sustainability work.