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Water: Putting an End to Waste

by Tim Young

from Satellite 45, Fall 1996

The Asa River in western Tokyo, far, far below flood stage.

In industrialized countries, we have come to take for granted that we always have a water supply. Just turn on the faucet, and there it is. Yes, sometimes there are draughts and we're told to conserve water, but we never think that we might be in danger of running out of it. After all, water supplies are unlimited, right?

Not according to many environmentalists. They warn that fresh water supplies are being used up due to wasteful water-use practices that account for a tripling in global water usage rates since 1950.

One of the most wasteful uses of water is flushing the toilet. Innovative Manufacturing Corporation (IMC), which makes a device to flush toilets using much less water, says in its World Wide Web site (http://www.innovativ.com/waterwise.html) that "the average toilet wastes 1/2 to 1 1/2 gallons of fresh water every flush." Steven Hesse, environmental columnist for the Japan Times, wrote in his September 23 column, "as much as 40 percent of all residential water use goes down the toilet."

IMC's water-saving device--or simply putting a large object in the toilet tank so that it takes less water to fill--are a good start. But, as Hesse writes, a fundamental overhaul of water use is needed.

Rather than using fresh water to wash away sewage, then treat the whole thing with chemicals and look for somewhere to dump the poisonous result, both the water and the sewage could be used more wisely. Hesse mentions composting toilets, which turn human waste into fertilizer. This also saves the costs of laying sewer pipes; Hesse says this can cost $50,000 per household.

Japan is known for its heavy yearly rainfall. Those in charge of water supplies here seem to have taken that for granted, not saving nearly as much rainwater as they could. It seems that every time there is a rather dry rainy season, suddenly there's an alert to start conserving water. Indeed, Hesse writes, "in countries like Japan where there is substantial rainfall, the real problem is not so much a shortage of water as a shortage of wisdom applied to using water." Mark Brazil, in his March 16, 1995, Wild Watch column in the Japan Times, noted that water routed from Japanese rivers to be used for drinking, toilets, and all the other usual uses, "is not collected, purified, and returned to the river. Instead, it is routed through the sewerage system directly to the sea." Besides the wasted water, Brazil notes that another result of this is that Japanese rivers get smaller and smaller, shallower and narrower, leaving large areas of permanently dry land between their concreted banks. Brazil writes:

Continue this process into the future a few more years and we will have once massive rivers being entirely consumed on their once-flourishing routes to the sea. We will one day create rivers without mouths. Of course, the occasional massive shrug of the earth might cause the odd problem along the way.

Andrew Dormann, an Australian civil engineer involved in Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects in developing countries, told me that another reason the rivers in Japan are so low may be due to the concreted river banks. Rivers normally receive some ground water that seeps out of the soil, which can't happen when the soil is covered with cement. Concreted banks also destroy the ecosystem along the banks, he said, which is where much of the life in a river usually resides-reeds, fish who lay eggs in the reeds, baby fish who hide in the reeds so bigger fish won't eat them. "The edge of the river is sort of a mini-wetland," he said. Dormann also said that rainwater does enter the river via concrete drains, which is "bypassing the natural filter" of the riverbank.

What can be done to ensure more sensible water use? Hesse, quoting an article in Insight, the newsletter of the United Nations Environmental Program's International Environmental Program's International Environmental Technology Center in Osaka, mentions three suggestions for improvements in water policy:

1. "Institute a policy of avoiding reliance on sewer use." Hesse notes that as of 1993, only 36% of Japanese households were hooked up to sewers, with the others using septic tanks or dry tanks. Therefore, keeping households off sewer reliance could be relatively easy. "The key is to keep them off an provide alternatives to discharging untreated sewage."
2. "Promote low-cost, on-site resource recycling technologies, such as composting toilets, that avoid polluting water." Hesse quotes the Insight article as saying that Sweden, the U.S., and South Korea have proven the success of composting toilets in reducing toilet water use to zero. An entire Swedish province is even converting to composting toilets.
3. "Price water right." This means reflecting the actual cost of plumbing and sewage systems in the water bill.

Terry L. Anderson, in an essay entitled "Water Options for the Blue Planet", writes in detail about the problem of underpriced water and how it encourages overuse, particularly in terms of farm irrigation. "Typically irrigation projects are less than 50 percent efficient," he writes, "meaning that much of the water diverted for crops runs off, carrying with it pesticides, herbicides, and soil nutrients." He goes on to say that water crises such as the one in southern California would "vanish" if water costs were determined by the free market and not kept artificially low by governments.

Naturally, only governments can make these kinds of changes. Aside from pressing governments to do so, what can the average citizen do?

IMC has some suggestions for saving money as well as water, among which are:

1. Cut water waste: Check for leaking faucets, toilets, or pipes around the house. You could be losing 10 gallons per day to leaking faucets, toilets, or pipes.
2. Take a shorter shower. Or, install a low-flow shower head. Water savings can really add up when you control the flow - you could save about 450 gallons a monthly!
3. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth. You will save about 100 gallons a month once this habit becomes second nature.
4. Put a box in the basement or garage, out of reach of children and pets, to collect household products that can contaminate water. Some cleaners, solvents, paints and auto fluids contain toxic substances. Dispose of them at a special collection center.

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