2022 has been a wake-up call for many around the globe to the precarious nature of a resource they may have largely taken for granted: water.

The lack of targeted water management, in combination with the climate crisis, has placed water in the headlines like never before. Some places, such as Pakistan – where unprecedented floods have devastated communities, infrastructure, and food supplies – seem to have too much of it. Others, including large parts of China, the US West, and Europe, are experiencing the worst droughts in centuries. Many, contrary to logic, are dealing simultaneously with droughts and flooding. Underinvestment and inefficient water infrastructure have resulted in systems not being able to cope with increasingly intense weather events and changing demand to direct water to where it is needed at the right time.

Waterbodies transcend manmade boundaries and borders, so the global challenge of ensuring everyone has a safe and clean water supply fundamentally needs to be addressed at a government level – regionally, nationally, and internationally. Such engagements tend to be complex and protracted affairs and need to be supported by actions on the ground which could more immediately impact how we use water and reduce excess consumption.

The commercial real estate (CRE) sector, responsible for 17 per cent of publicly supplied water use in the US, is in a unique position to contribute. While policy and regulations on water efficiency, such as San Francisco’s Recycled Water Ordinance, do exist, they are not yet the norm in CRE, especially for existing buildings. Below are five relatively simple and practical steps landlords can take in their properties:

1. Auditing water use and leak detection: submeter your water use by zone (for example, irrigation, water-using HVAC equipment, large water-using spaces) and detect any potential leaks to monitor and reduce water usage, prevent damage to the building, and hold appropriate parties accountable. The data collected could help improve the landlord’s ESG performance.
2. Devising a water efficiency plan: developing a plan based on understanding water demands in different parts of your building, and where reductions are needed/possible, can help prioritise resources and time to achieve the best results.
3. Installing water-efficient fixtures: The US Department of Energy reports about 60 per cent of all water used inside a commercial building is in toilets, sinks, and urinals. Installing water-efficient flush valves, waterless or one-pint urinals, and faucets, could dramatically reduce water use.  
4. Collecting and re-using greywater or rainwater: greywater that goes down the drain from handwashing, laundry, or showers can be collected, filtered, and re-used to irrigate plants. Rainwater can be collected on rooftops and used for irrigation without filtration. Retrofitting the technology within an existing plumbing system is significantly harder, but it could be an option to consider for major retrofits to use the treated grey water for toilet flushing and other non-potable use. In commercial buildings where significant amounts of grey water is produced, such as in hotels and gyms, or located in water-stressed regions, the investment can swiftly pay off.
5. Planting drought-resistant plants: water for irrigation is often the biggest consumer of water for any building with landscaping – up to 70 per cent of total for some commercial buildings. Replacing water-intensive plants with drought-resistant types could drive significant water and financial savings.

Further information

Contact Hyon Rah

Impacts: Water stress and sustainable development