1. Water, Energy and Sustainability
Bruce A. Macler, PhD
USEPA Region 9

2. Changes are A’Comin’... Climate change will impact water
Warmer air, warmer water
Water quality problems
Biological changes
Change in location and amount of precipitation
Increased storm intensity
Sea level rise and boundary changes
Change in ocean characteristics

3. Likely Problems for Drinking Water
Inadequate storage
Loss of snowpack “reservoirs”
Big storms and timing shifts
Rainfall shifts to the north, drought in south
Reduced groundwater recharge
Decreased surface flows
Waterbody boundary shifts and losses
Rising sea level
Increased evaporation
Changes in flow patterns

4. More Likely Problems Water quality and biological changes
Decreased dissolved oxygen
More algae and bacteria
Ecosystem shifts or collapses
Sedimentation and nutrient increases from increased wildfires
More treatment may be necessary
Concurrent changes in energy availability

5. Water and Energy Interdependencies
Energy generation
Hydroelectric power
Cooling water
Energy use
Pumping (source to tap to WWTP to source)
Treatment
Drinking water
Waste water
End users
Water heating

6. Water and Energy Generation
Hydropower generation
Themocooling of generators
Water use in extraction and mining
Use in emission controls
Use in alternative fuel generation
Ethanol
Biodiesel

7. A Little Quantitation on Use
CA uses about 26,000 GWh of electricity/ year for the water sector
~10% of all power use
Water supply conveyance and distribution pumping use about 12,000 GWh/yr
Treatment (DW and WW) uses about 1400 GWh/yr
End-use is about 12,500 GWh/yr
Mostly heating and cooling
Irrigation uses about 2300 GWh/yr

8. EPA Interests and Concerns
EPA Climate Change Strategy
Addresses water and energy
Emphasizes research, forecasting
EPA Sustainability Initiative
Four (five) key pillars
Emphasizes proactive management

9. Sustainability in the Face of Change
EPA Sustainability Initiative
Better management
Full cost pricing
Efficient water use
Watershed approaches
*Energy efficiency

10. Water-Energy Efficiency
Greatest long term opportunities are from reducing energy used for pumping
Source to treatment to customer
Waste to treatment to discharge
Reducing end user energy use is vital
Embedded energy savings from water conservation may be ephemeral
Conserved water will likely be used elsewhere

11. Reducing Conveyance Energy Use
Optimize pump efficiency and operational efficiency
Increase use of local or closer resources
Water trading may be useful
Increase local seawater and brackish water desalination
Treatment may be more energy efficient than pumping from a distance
Increase desalination of co-produced water

12. Water Sector Energy Efficiency
Reduce energy use in transmission
Audit and reduce energy loss to flow resistance in distribution lines
Address inefficient pump sizing and operations
Address inefficient distribution and storage configurations
Improve storage mixing to reduce water age and stratification

13. End User Conservation The demise of traditional water heaters?
Energy-efficient water-using appliances
Washing machines
Dishwashers
Commercial equipment
Conserving the energy value of hot and cold water

14. A Useful Tool: Full Cost Pricing
Analysis of source-to-tap energy use (as distinct from actual energy costs) can illuminate hidden/ subsidized costs
For example, might show that desalination in LA more energy efficient than pumping from Lake Shasta
Full-cost pricing can improve efficient marketing

15. Crystal Ball Gazing Climate change will alter water resources
Climate change will affect a lot of other things
May lead to mass migration
Water and energy availability and cost may influence this
Cost of fuel will be going up, too
Likely to affect desire for hydroelectric
May lead to reconsideration of urban-suburban structure