Texas Water Development Board Report 362 Water Conservation Implementation Task Force Water Conservation Best Management Practices Guide November 2004 This page intentionally blank. i Texas Water Development Board E. G. Rod Pittman, Chairman, Lufkin Thomas Weir Labatt, III, Member, San Antonio Jack Hunt, Vice Chairman, Houston James E. Herring, Member, Amarillo Dario Vidal Guerra, Jr., Member, Edinburg William W. Meadows, Member, Fort Worth J. Kevin Ward, Executive Administrator Authorization for use or reproduction of any original material contained in this publication, i.e., not obtained from other sources, is freely granted. The use of brand names in this publication does not indicate an endorsement by the Texas Water Development Board or the State of Texas. Views expressed in this report are of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Texas Water Development Board. Published and distributed by the Texas Water Development Board P.O. Box 13231, Capitol Station Austin, Texas 78711-3231 This document was developed by GDS Associates, Inc., Chris Brown Consulting, Axiom-Blair Engineering, Inc. and Tony Gregg, P.E. through funding from the Texas Water Development Board November 2004 Report 362 (Printed on recycled paper) ii This page intentionally blank. iii November 2004 BMP GUIDE Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................1 1.1 Background.................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Best Management Practices (BMPs) ............................................................................. 3 1.3 Development and Purpose of Best Management Practices Guide ................................ 4 1.4 Cost-Effectiveness Considerations................................................................................ 7 1.5 Getting the Most Out of the Guide ................................................................................ 8 2.0 BMPs for Municipal Water Users......................................................................................11 2.1 System Water Audit and Water Loss .......................................................................... 13 2.2 Water Conservation Pricing......................................................................................... 19 2.3 Prohibition on Wasting Water ..................................................................................... 25 2.4 Showerhead, Aerator, and Toilet Flapper Retrofit ...................................................... 28 2.5 Residential Toilet Replacement Programs .................................................................. 34 2.6 Residential Clothes Washer Incentive Program .......................................................... 39 2.7 School Education......................................................................................................... 43 2.8 Water Survey for Single-Family and Multi-Family Customers .................................. 48 2.9 Landscape Irrigation Conservation and Incentives ..................................................... 54 2.10 Water Wise Landscape Design and Conversion Programs ......................................... 61 2.11 Athletic Field Conservation......................................................................................... 66 2.12 Golf Course Conservation ........................................................................................... 71 2.13 Metering of All New Connections and Retrofit of Existing Connections................... 75 2.14 Wholesale Agency Assistance Programs .................................................................... 78 2.15 Conservation Coordinator............................................................................................ 82 2.16 Water Reuse................................................................................................................. 85 2.17 Public Information....................................................................................................... 90 2.18 Rainwater Harvesting and Condensate Reuse............................................................. 96 2.19 New Construction Graywater .................................................................................... 102 iv November 2004 BMP GUIDE 2.20 Park Conservation...................................................................................................... 106 2.21 Conservation Programs for Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Accounts...... 112 2.22 Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Municipal Water Users.......................................... 118 3.0 BMPs for Industrial Water Users.....................................................................................131 3.1 Industrial Water Audit............................................................................................... 133 3.2 Industrial Water Waste Reduction............................................................................. 138 3.3 Industrial Submetering .............................................................................................. 142 3.4 Cooling Towers ......................................................................................................... 145 3.5 Cooling Systems (other than Cooling Towers) ......................................................... 150 3.6 Industrial Alternative Sources and Reuse of Process Water ..................................... 154 3.7 Rinsing/Cleaning ....................................................................................................... 158 3.8 Water Treatment........................................................................................................ 162 3.9 Boiler and Steam Systems ......................................................................................... 167 3.10 Refrigeration (including Chilled Water).................................................................... 172 3.11 Once-Through Cooling.............................................................................................. 175 3.12 Management and Employee Programs...................................................................... 179 3.13 Industrial Landscape.................................................................................................. 184 3.14 Industrial Site Specific Conservation ........................................................................ 190 3.15 Cost Effectiveness for Industrial Water Users .......................................................... 195 4.0 BMPs for Agricultural Water Users ................................................................................199 4.1 Agricultural Irrigation Water Use Management........................................................ 201 4.1.1 Irrigation Scheduling............................................................................................. 201 4.1.2 Volumetric Measurement of Irrigation Water Use ............................................... 204 4.1.3 Crop Residue Management and Conservation Tillage.......................................... 208 4.1.4 On-Farm Irrigation Audit...................................................................................... 210 4.2 Land Management Systems....................................................................................... 214 4.2.1 Furrow Dikes......................................................................................................... 214 4.2.2 Land Leveling ....................................................................................................... 216 v November 2004 BMP GUIDE 4.2.3 Contour Farming ................................................................................................... 218 4.2.4 Conversion of Supplemental Irrigated Farmland to Dry-Land Farmland............. 220 4.2.5 Brush Control/Management .................................................................................. 222 4.3 On-Farm Water Delivery Systems ............................................................................ 226 4.3.1 Lining of On-Farm Irrigation Ditches................................................................... 226 4.3.2 Replacement of On-Farm Irrigation Ditches with Pipelines................................. 229 4.3.3 Low Pressure Center Pivot Sprinkler Irrigation Systems...................................... 231 4.3.4 Drip/Micro-Irrigation System ............................................................................... 234 4.3.5 Gated and Flexible Pipe for Field Water Distribution Systems............................ 237 4.3.6 Surge Flow Irrigation for Field Water Distribution Systems................................ 239 4.3.7 Linear Move Sprinkler Irrigation Systems............................................................ 241 4.4 Water District Delivery Systems ............................................................................... 244 4.4.1 Lining of District Irrigation Canals....................................................................... 244 4.4.2 Replacement of Irrigation District Canals and Lateral Canals with Pipelines...... 247 4.5 Miscellaneous Systems.............................................................................................. 250 4.5.1 Tailwater Recovery and Reuse System................................................................. 250 4.5.2 Nursery Production Systems 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