Leanne Spence, co-founder and operator of water conservation company Instant-Save Jamaica Limited, says if residents of Kingston and St Andrew save 10 per cent of water used daily it would be enough to surpass the capacity of the Mona Reservoir, which holds 809 million gallons.

“It is really important that we look at strategies to be better able to manage our water resources,” Spence told a public forum put on by The University of the West Indies, Mona on Wednesday.

Speaking during the event, titled “Down to the Last Drop: Tackling Jamaica’s Water Woes”, Spence said while it is a known fact that Jamaica is experiencing scarcity, often as a result of inadequate distribution and aged infrastructure, Jamaicans should seek ways to help ensure water security.

Spence said Instant-Save, through an efficiency-first approach called Demand Side Management, has assisted clients to save “millions of gallons of water”. She stated that “water efficiency and conservation can be a new water source as well”.

Demand Side Management is a strategic toolbox which looks at behaviour change, efficient technologies and financial incentives to promote efficient water use and curb consumption.

“Very often when we walk into buildings we are finding that three out of four homes are inefficient in terms of technology available to ensure they are using water efficiently and reducing their costs. Likewise, nine out of 10 businesses that we do inspections on have similar issues with fixtures not at the standard of ultimate efficiency and they are still experiencing a lot of leaks,” she disclosed.

Spence said given the challenges being experienced with water management the approach has to be multi-pronged.

 “We have to look at everything to tackle the issues. One running toilet can waste 11,000 gallons of water per month. Flapper balls are big culprits for toilet leaks and that can result in not only wastage of water but fundamental impact in the financial sense that translates to $14,300 and that’s without sewer because when you add sewer that basically doubles your water rate,” she pointed out.

“Similarly, we are finding that shower heads are using 10 gallons more on a 10 minute shower than they need to. We really want to bring it back to what can we do as citizens,” she added.

“We really want to bring it back to what can we do as citizens. In terms of water efficiency we really need to look at water management on a whole; leak detection technologies is a good starting point (smart meters, sensors, leak detection services),” she pointed out.

She said other technological aids such as the use of high efficiency plumbing fixtures for toilets, faucets,shower heads, dishwashers and washing machines will aid efficiency in addition to smart irrigation systems, Greywater reuse systems and rainwater collection systems.

Instant-Save Jamaica Limited, she said, has been able to help homeowners implement efficiencies on their properties resulting in savings of about 30 per cent in water consumption.

“The same for businesses, we have seen where they are achieving up to 70 per cent in water use which corresponds with lower water costs as well, so the results are proven,” Spence told the forum.

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