NWDA Sustainable Buildings: Guidance Note
B3.0 Policy Objective – Water The balance between water supply and water demand is becoming an increasingly vital issue, with the use of water within buildings, the consumption of potable water from the public supply systems or other ground water resources, steadily growing. During the past two decades we have been steadily using more water and forecasts indicate that this upward trend will continue. Water harvesting from natural sources and the recycling of greywater are becoming increasingly common methods of reducing the use of potable water from the public supply systems, but there is a need to reduce, in general, the amount of potable water that is used for non-drinking purposes. The quality of our water source is also an issue and pollution and potential flooding risks are a major consideration when we look at the way in which surface water runs off into the drainage system from the construction process and from our buildings and developments. For the purpose of the Policy the North West Regional Development Agency are concerned only with the objective for buildings to use less potable mains water for non-drinking, but the way in which surface water runs off developments must also be considered to allay fears of potential pollution and flooding. The goal of the policy is to minimise the use of potable water for non-potable purposes in buildings through the more efficient use of potable water by the installation and use of fixtures and fittings such as low-water-use WCs, taps and appliances and the replacement of potable water with non-potable water sources through water harvesting and greywater recycling such as the collection and storage of rain from roofs and the collection and reuse of shower, bath and tap water, for example.
B3.1 Current Policy Statements
B3.1.1 International
There are no specific international policy statements with regards to the use of potable water, but the World Water Council, an international multi-stakeholder platform, was established in 1996 on the initiative of renowned water specialists and
Revision 2 - March 09
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