MIL-HDBK-1165
Section 2:
WATER - AN OVERVIEW
2.1
Water Conservation - The Law of the Land
2.1.1
Executive Order 12902. In March of 1994, Executive
Order (EO) 12902 was issued as a follow-up to the Energy Policy
Act of 1992. EO 12902 states that all federal agencies are to
take specific actions to conserve energy and water at their
facilities. The Executive Order mandates that agencies within
the federal government reduce energy consumption in federal
buildings by 30 percent from 1985 levels by the year 2005.
Although the requirements described for energy conservation are
more detailed, EO 12902 provides inclusive requirements for water
conservation. Figure 1 shows a flowchart presenting the
requirements in a step-wise fashion. Appendix A contains a
summary of EO 12902 as it applies to water conservation.
Fortunately, EO 12902 also states how agencies and you,
the facility water manager, are to be assisted by the Department
of Energy (DOE) and the General Services Administration (GSA) in
completing the above daunting tasks! The role of DOE is to take
the lead in implementing EO 12902 through the Federal Energy
Management Program (FEMP). The FEMP office was established within
DOE over a decade ago to facilitate improvement of energy and
water conservation practices among federal agencies, and to
coordinate and support the development and application of tools,
techniques, and strategies to improve energy and water efficiency
in the federal sector. According to the Executive Order, DOE,
GSA, and each Federal facility has its own unique role in
implementing water conservation. Figure 2 shows the duties of
DOE, GSA, each Service's Lead Agency, and each Federal facility
in federal energy and water management.
In addition to conserving water used in existing
facilities, water conservation techniques should also be applied
to the design of new facilities. Project designers should
consider the water conservation options discussed in Sections 4
through 6 and implement those which are cost effective.
2.1.2
Environmental Compliance. Saving dollars and energy is
not the only reason that water conservation is important. Water
is a critical, life sustaining resource and its use, or abuse,
affects the surrounding environment. As water supplies decrease,
the need to conserve water to protect the environment increases.
3
Previous Page
