Over 20 years, water utilities have needed more energy to provide the same amount of water, and the trend is likely to continue.
Drinking water supply requires energy to extract, treat, and deliver water, and those demands keep rising.
Civil and Construction Engineering professor Dr. Rob Sowby and recent graduate Adam Siegel analyzed a dataset describing the energy performance of over 500 U.S. water utilities since 2000. The results, published in Energy Reports, suggest that water utilities of all sizes are getting more energy intensive over time.
"Small water systems are the most vulnerable," Sowby says. "As in other types of infrastructure services, small, rural communities struggle disproportionately."
Despite the projection of continuing to need more energy for the same amount of water, Sowby says there are many options to manage energy demand. In a previous article with undergraduates Nathan Morehead and Stephen Burdette, Sowby reviewed dozens of best practices. "Deliberate energy management is critical," Sowby says. "That way water utilities can position themselves to succeed."