Policy Frameworks Influencing Outdoor Water‐use Restrictions

Milman, Anita; Polsky, Colin

doi:10.1111/1752-1688.12409

Cited by 20 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Although many analyses of WCPs focus on pricing policies, the term “water conservation” generally also includes a broader range of programs and policies such as support for water efficiency and for changes in water use (Saurí, ). A comprehensive dataset of WCPs has not been reported in the peer‐reviewed literature, but there have been some efforts to survey a more limited range of WCPs such as outdoor water‐use restrictions in Massachusetts ( e.g ., Milman and Polsky, ). In the United States (U.S.), the most spatially exhaustive source of general data on WCPs is the survey research published by the AWWA.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring Urban Water Conservation Policies: Toward a Comprehensive Index

Hess

Wold

Worland

et al. 2017

J American Water Resour Assoc

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This article (1) discusses existing efforts to measure water conservation policies (WCPs) in the United States (U.S.); (2) suggests general methodological guidelines for creating robust water conservation indices (WCIs); (3) presents a comprehensive template for coding WCPs; (4) introduces a summary index, the Vanderbilt Water Conservation Index (VWCI), which is derived from 79 WCP observations for 197 cities for the year 2015; and (5) compares the VWCI to WCP data extracted from the 2010 American Water Works Association (AWWA) Water and Wastewater Rates survey. Existing approaches to measuring urban WCPs in U.S. cities are limited because they consider only a portion of WCPs or they are restricted geographically. The VWCI consists of a more comprehensive set of 79 observations classified as residential, commercial/industrial, billing structure, drought plan, or general. Our comparison of the VWCI and AWWA survey responses indicate reasonable agreement (ρ = 0.76) between the two WCIs for 98 cities where the data overlap. The correlation suggests the AWWA survey responses can provide fairly robust longitudinal WCP information, but we argue the measurement of WCPs is still in its infancy, and our approach suggests strategies for improving existing methods.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring Urban Water Conservation Policies: Toward a Comprehensive Index

Hess

Wold

Worland

et al. 2017

J American Water Resour Assoc

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“…Most such restrictions (herein drought restrictions) are temporary-imposed as a response to an impending water shortage threat and subsequently lifted -while others (herein permanent water use restrictions or water use bylaws) are standing restrictions enforced either year-round or during the summer period of each year based on an established calendar. Though temporary drought restrictions have been common practice since the 1970s, the imposition of permanent water use restrictions has become more widespread over the past few decades as aging municipal water systems struggle to keep pace with growing cities and an increasingly variable climate (Hilaire et al, 2008;Milman & Polsky, 2016;Shandas et al, 2015). This trend is visible in Canada, where the application of seasonal water use restrictions has intensified significantly over the last two decades; today, over 75% of large (population >100 000) Canadian cities impose some sort of permanent water use restriction during the summer months.…”

Section: Water Use Restrictionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Curbing the Summer Surge: Permanent Outdoor Water Use Restrictions in Humid and Semiarid Cities

Finley

Basu

2020

Water Resources Research

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As urban droughts make headlines across the globe, it is increasingly relevant to critically evaluate the long‐term sustainability of both water supply and demand in the world's cities. This is the case even in water‐rich regions, where upward swings in water demands during periods of hot, dry weather can aggravate already strained water supplies and increase cities' vulnerability to water shortage. Summer spikes in water demand have motivated several cities to impose permanent restrictions on outdoor water uses; however, little is yet known about their effectiveness. This paper examines daily water production data from 15 Canadian cities to (1) quantify how overall and seasonal demands are evolving over time across humid and semiarid settings and (2) determine whether permanent water use restrictions have been effective in curbing summer water demands both seasonally and during specific hot and dry periods. Results show that while per‐capita water demand is declining in all cities studied, the seasonal distribution of that demand has remained largely stable in all but a few cases. While average demands in the summer months remain largely unaffected by the imposition of permanent restrictions, cities that enforce stringent limits on outdoor water use have seen a reduction in the variability of daily demands and a decline in peak demands following their implementation. During short‐term periods of exceptionally hot and dry weather when vulnerability to water shortage is most acute, cities with strict restrictions also see smaller surges in demand than those with weaker or no restrictions in place.

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“…One prominent management policy implemented in response to droughts is water restrictions (Kenney et al 2008, Maggioni 2015, Milman and Polsky 2016. As a recent example, in 2015 following a historically unprecedented drought in California, a gubernatorial executive order mandated an average 25% reduction in water use by all urban water supply agencies (Reese et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%