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As the human population increases, the way we use and manage our supply of drinking water becomes even more important. The purpose of this study was to determine residents’ satisfaction level of and performance rating of new water savings devices installed in their apartments. Specifically the investigation focused on ratings of shower heads, kitchen faucet aerators, bath faucet aerators, and fill valve and flapper systems. This quantitative survey included residents at 4 apartment complexes in Tennessee using a paper questionnaire (N = 626). The participants were grouped by age, ethnicity, gender, and whether or not they had experienced both nonrestrictive devices or restrictive low flow devices within their apartment. An independent samples t test was conducted from the research questions for each of these 4 groups. The testing variables for each group consisted of the overall performances of the low flow devices, and the satisfaction of the time to get hot water to shower heads and faucets. There was no significant difference between the 4 grouping variables; residents aged 62 and over compared to 61 and younger, males compared to females, whites compared to nonwhites, and those who had experienced both nonrestrictive and restrictive devices while living in the same apartment when compared to these variables; performance rating of low flow shower heads, kitchen faucet aerators, bath faucet aerators, and low flow toilet devices. The variables also included the satisfaction rating of the time needed to get hot water to the new low flow shower heads and kitchen and bath faucet aerators. These findings support the effort to save clean water and reduce water and sewer costs by installing low flow shower heads, bath and faucet aerators, and water saving toilets. Mean score suggest satisfactory ratings were encountered in every testing category and within every group. In particular, the satisfactory mean score of residents who experienced both nonrestrictive and low flow devices while in the same apartment led to the conclusion that the reduction of water can be achieved satisfactorily in all types of residences.

Ce travail de recherche vise à appréhender les effets engendrés à terme sur la gestion urbaine de l'eau par le développement progressif de la pratique de récupération et d'utilisation de l'eau de pluie (RUEP), et plus particulièrement sur l'alimentation en eau potable. Il est réalisé de manière prospective à l'échelle de l'agglomération parisienne. Plus largement, cette recherche constitue une contribution au débat ouvert depuis quelques années relatif à la remise en question progressive du modèle centralisé de gestion de l'eau en milieu urbain. Après une description de la pratique urbaine de REUP, ce travail établit un état de l'art des outils et des méthodes scientifiques s'y rapportant, et suggère de se focaliser sur le développement d'une approche de changement d'échelles. L'objectif est de produire, à une échelle urbaine, une estimation significative des économies d'eau potable réalisables en substituant à celle-ci de l'eau de pluie récupérée pour des usages ne requérant pas une qualité d'eau alimentaire. Pour ce faire, nous proposons une approche basée sur l'évaluation séquentielle à l'aide d'une échelle intermédiaire (la commune), d'une logique de regroupement de bâtiments aux caractéristiques comparables au regard de la RUEP et de quatre principes (distinction, agrégation, majoration, hiérarchisation).Sur l'agglomération de Paris, la méthodologie mise en œuvre montre que l'eau de pluie récupérée est susceptible de représenter un potentiel équivalent à 65% des besoins en eau non potable et à 11% du volume d'eau potable distribué. Le travail met également en évidence que le secteur résidentiel constitue le gisement principal de ce potentiel, car il détient 2/3 du potentiel global de l'agglomération. Une première analyse du système d'acteurs impliqués dans la RUEP en milieu urbain complète ce travail. Cette analyse permet de dégager un sous ensemble particulier d'acteurs qui ont la capacité d'effectuer une action « levier » sur la diffusion de cette pratique sur une échelle urbaine, soit directement en raison de leur capacité d'action collective (un ensemble de bâtiments par exemple), soit indirectement au travers de leur capacité d'influencer sur les propriétaires des bâtiments (mécanismes d'incitation notamment).Au final, ce travail permet de situer la RUEP en milieu urbain au sein du débat général portant sur les mutations que connaît la ville d'aujourd'hui / This research aims at assessing the effects generated, on management of urban water in the long term, by progressive development of rainwater harvesting (RWH), and more particularly on the drinking water supply. It is carried out in a prospective way on the scale of Paris and its suburbs. On the whole, this research contributes to a controversy about the validity of a centralized model of management of water in an urban environment. After a description of the RWH in urban areas, this report presents state of the art tools and scientific methods, and focuses on the development of a scaling approach. The objective is to produce, a significant assessment of potential potable water savings (PPWS), on an urban scale by substituting part of it by rainwater recovered for uses which do not require such quality. With this aim, we propose an approach based on sequential evaluation using an intermediate scale (the municipality), on merging of buildings with similar characteristics related to RWH and four methodological principles (modeling, aggregation, increase, Ranking strategy)Applied to the Paris agglomeration, the implemented methodology shows that the recovered rainwater volume is likely to represent a potential equivalent of 65% of the demands for non-drinking water and of 11% of the drinking water distributed. This research also highlights that the residential sector constitutes the major contribution of this potential, because it holds 2/3 of the total potential to the Paris agglomeration. The first analysis of the system of actors implied in the RWH in urban environment has also been developed. This analysis makes it possible to identify a specific subset of actors who have the capacity to carry out an “lever” action in generalizing this practice on an urban scale, either directly because of their capacity of leading a collective action (for a set of buildings for example), or indirectly through their capacity to act on the owners of the buildings (by incentive mechanisms in particular).Finally, this work positions RWH in on urban environment within the general debate related to the evolution of present cities

This thesis deals with the problem of water consumption in European Union and ways to overcome its excessive abstraction. The aim is to analyze whether the current abstraction in each area is sustainable in the future, and if there is any possible way how to ensure this sustainability. This work is based on the information about the development of abstraction in different sectors, changes in the amount of water that will be caused by global warming and the data on the current technical possibilities of obtaining water. The first section explains the concept of sustainable development and clarifies why the water consumption is excessive. The second chapter deals with the quantity of water and its resources, including alternative resources. The third chapter describes the water abstraction and the potential for savings. The last part focuses on policies and measures to ensure sustainable water abstraction.

‘Net Positive Water’ explores the capability of domestic architecture to combat the developing urban water problem. Urban intensification is contributing to the volatility of urban waters and the breakdown of the urban water cycle. Inhabitant water misuse and overconsumption is overwhelming aging municipal utilities, resulting in the decay of urban water quality. LEEDTM and The Living Building Challenge are recognized Green Building Guidelines prescribing sustainable site and building water standards. Case Studies of domestic Green Building projects will showcase water conservation to enable domestic water renewal. Net Zero Water Guidelines based on the Green Building Guidelines outline Potable and Non-Potable water use to achieve a sustainable volume of water demand at 70 litres per capita per day. Sustainable water practices are encouraged by utilizing domestic building systems to increase water value and water awareness. Time-of-Use and Choice-of-Use exposure for household water related tasks establish water savings through the use of best-performing water fixtures and appliances. Net Positive Water Guidelines will establish On-site and Building standards for sustainable harvesting and storage of water resources. Clean and Dirty water management will prescribe Passive design and Active mechanical processes to maintain best-available water quality in the urban domestic environment. Net Positive Water building typology will integrate urban inhabitation as a functional component of the urban water cycle to use, reuse, and renew water resources. The method will be tested using a Mid-rise Pilot project to deploy the necessary Passive and Active mechanisms to generate Net Positive Water quality through Net Zero Water sustainable water use. The pilot project is situated in Waterfront Toronto - The Lower Don Lands development to harness regional interests for water renewal and environmental revitalization.

‘Net Positive Water’ explores the capability of domestic architecture to combat the developing urban water problem. Urban intensification is contributing to the volatility of urban waters and the breakdown of the urban water cycle. Inhabitant water misuse and overconsumption is overwhelming aging municipal utilities, resulting in the decay of urban water quality. LEEDTM and The Living Building Challenge are recognized Green Building Guidelines prescribing sustainable site and building water standards. Case Studies of domestic Green Building projects will showcase water conservation to enable domestic water renewal. Net Zero Water Guidelines based on the Green Building Guidelines outline Potable and Non-Potable water use to achieve a sustainable volume of water demand at 70 litres per capita per day. Sustainable water practices are encouraged by utilizing domestic building systems to increase water value and water awareness. Time-of-Use and Choice-of-Use exposure for household water related tasks establish water savings through the use of best-performing water fixtures and appliances. Net Positive Water Guidelines will establish On-site and Building standards for sustainable harvesting and storage of water resources. Clean and Dirty water management will prescribe Passive design and Active mechanical processes to maintain best-available water quality in the urban domestic environment. Net Positive Water building typology will integrate urban inhabitation as a functional component of the urban water cycle to use, reuse, and renew water resources. The method will be tested using a Mid-rise Pilot project to deploy the necessary Passive and Active mechanisms to generate Net Positive Water quality through Net Zero Water sustainable water use. The pilot project is situated in Waterfront Toronto - The Lower Don Lands development to harness regional interests for water renewal and environmental revitalization.