The integration of water footprinting into construction projects

Water footprinting is a massive issue considering the current environmental agenda. With the United Nations predicting over four billion people to be affected by severe water shortage by 2050 it is necessary for us to start considering the impacts of construction upon water availability. From recent studies of day to day items it can be seen that an incredibly large amount of water is used solely to cater for the public’s demands.

Within the UK the average water consumption per day is 150 litres, if this is extended to include virtual water usage the figure can be 30 times this much. In order to produce just one kilo of beef it can take the use of up to 16,000 litres of water, whilst 1,000 litres of water can produce just one litre of milk. When considering these are small readily available products it is on a much greater scale the effects of construction must be measured upon.

The integration of water footprinting into the field of construction would have a massive impact on the water usage of the population thus benefitting those who already suffer from water shortage issues.

Water footprinting takes into consideration the amount of water used both directly: operational water footprint and indirectly: supply-chain water footprint within the construction or production of a product or building. In order to evaluate the water used within a construction project a number of factors need to be taken into consideration. Firstly the use of water within the supply chain needs to be evaluated. It is necessary to calculate the number of litres of water that are used in order to create the items that will be used within the construction project; this can range from the water used in acquiring sand or the water used in the manufacture of steel and other materials. Once this has been completed and the amount of water used calculated it is then necessary to calculate the amount of water used within the actual construction process. This will include items such as the water used within the heavy machinery and the water used within the mixing of cement.

There are many benefits to this type of footprinting, The Independent stated that “water footprinting could do more to preserve scarce resources than all its predecessors”. Also, with the UN championing the cause it is likely that new measures may be brought in to establish just how much water is being used within industry particularly as the problems within certain countries with regard to water stress are becoming more and more prevalent.

Water footprinting would bring benefit to the UK, particularly those living within densely populated cities. For example, in London there is evidence to suggest that the amount of water which can be directly sourced from its catchment is not adequate to supply the city with the necessary amounts of water required. Therefore it is important to understand the true value of water and to not just treat it as a commodity. The most extreme example comes from Los Angeles, whereby the amount of water the surrounding catchment can supply will be between 2.4 million and 6 million acre-feet (1 acre-foot can supply two typical families for about a year) short of what is required by the population. This case is not alone, a number of cities all over the world deal with similar issues and spend valuable resources sourcing their water through different methods such as desalinisation which can cost up to $3 per 1,000 gallons and has significant detrimental effects on the environment. With this in mind it is easy to see how a water footprint of any construction project within a major city can highlight the impacts of the project upon the local and global environment.

It is also possible to conduct water footprints for large scale sporting events such as the London 2012 Olympics. Due to the large amount of construction already being undertaken and the large amount of water this will use it is of great value to consider a water footprint evaluation of these projects in order to minimise damage to the environment. During the course of the Olympics there will also be a large amount of water used throughout the facilities within the complex and also through the travelling by both athletes and spectators. In these cases whereby they are large scale events incorporating wide participation and global media coverage the use of water footprinting techniques would not only assist the event and decrease its environmental impact but also raise awareness as to the issues faced around the world with regard to sustainability.

If the companies and stakeholders involved within the Olympic Park construction could be persuaded to implement such techniques it could have a significant impact on the environmental repercussions of the event, and also increase public awareness of issues currently arising which are less in favour than the larger, more prevalent world issues such as global warming and climate change. It is these smaller techniques which can be implemented within the public sector also ultimately making the public aware of their environmental impact and how with a few simple steps it is possible to achieve a more environmentally balanced lifestyle. With the incorporation of water footprinting techniques into the Environmental Management Strategy (EMS) of such a global event, awareness of not only the importance and benefits of incorporating these techniques into day to day life would be achieved but also there would be an increased awareness of those companies currently making use of these techniques and doing their part for the upkeep of the environment.

From the quoted sources we can see that there are many benefits to conducting such environmental studies prior to undertaking construction projects. This can both benefit the company undertaking the project through the improvement of their corporate social responsibility as they can be seen to be going that extra mile in order to decrease the environmental impact of their projects and also benefit the location in which the construction is occurring. Although it has seemed the norm for a number of years now to conduct carbon footprint analysis of projects and new builds it is now necessary to think further ahead and attempt to use new methods such as water footprinting to help prevent any future problems on a local and global scale. These new techniques can offer construction companies a service which few currently offer and considering the next big boom within business is likely to be for those who consider the environment and sustainability, water footprinting can provide a huge step forward for any company willing to embrace it.

Websites of use:

• waterfootprint.org

• independent.co.uk/environment/green-living

• water-footprint.com

• london.gov.uk

• businessgreen.com

Contact information
Stuart Powers,
Lancaster University
Email: s.powers1@lancaster.ac.uk
Tel: 07890 177179