The Leakage Emissions Initiative (LEI) has brought together a team of experts to create the white paper, Leakage Emissions Initiative: Establishing a Standard Carbon Balance for Drinking Water Utilities. The paper outlines ongoing problems caused by water loss and proposes a call to action to all utilities to curb their water loss to reduce “unnecessary carbon emissions.”
The white paper defines real water loss as “leakage resulting from failed distribution system infrastructure.”
“Understanding leakage emissions begins with the knowledge that all water extraction, treatment, and distribution produces greenhouse gases,” said Steve Cavanaugh, Chairman of the Carbon Loss Emissions Task Force. “So when it comes to unchecked leaks, each unit of water loss equates to a measurable unit of unnecessary carbon emissions.”
According to the paper, water loss and energy waste problems are critical and “top experts” were gathered to participate in the LEI. The white paper committee includes thought leaders who have committed their careers to reducing water loss and ensuring that people have access to a reliable and secure water supply. Gregg Semler, founder and CEO of climate technology company InPipe Energy, joined the LEI to make a bigger impact with addressing this growing crisis.
“I’m concerned we’re not decarbonizing the water industry fast enough. Our infrastructure is old and wasteful.” said Semler. “We waste over three trillion gallons of water annually which includes emitting 847 million tons of carbon. This white paper establishes a methodology for eliminating wasted water and reducing substantial amounts of carbon emissions. We know water pipes leak but we haven’t connected the dots to its impact on climate change. This white paper does that!”
Real water loss is an unnecessary drain on valuable resources that could be responsibly consumed elsewhere. The LEI aims to influence protocols that will strengthen the economic feasibility of finding and repairing sources of water leakage. The result is a sense of urgency and action to assist utilities and society as they continue to strive for environmental sustainability and ensure a safe water supply is available on a planet facing increasing climate disruption.
Semler’s company, InPipe Energy, has created a system that addresses the water and energy nexus. Its system, called the HydroXS, recovers energy from water in pressurized pipelines. It is a digitally enabled, energy recovery system that acts like a control valve to reduce water loss, but also generates hydroelectricity, enabling a new source of revenue to invest in upgrading water infrastructure. For more information on InPipe Energy, visit inpipeenergy.com.
The full white paper is available here.
