Water Saving Tips and Resources for Business

The preservation of our water resources is a key element of our community and our members’ ability to do business. Therefore, it is imperative for the business community along with all other groups in our area to act directly and immediately on measures that will reduce our use of water.

  1. Conduct a Water Audit

Start by quantifying your water use to identify savings opportunities. It’s easy! Santa Rosa Water offers free water use audits.

Call Santa Rosa Water today! Contact Deb Lane, Water Resources Analyst (and water saving expert), at 707.543.4506 or dlane@srcity.org to schedule your free water use audit.

Not a Santa Rosa Water Customer? Check in with your local water provider for available programs or visit SavingWaterPartnership.org.

  1. Receive Customized Water Use Recommendations Based on Industry Benchmarks

Santa Rosa Water will help you understand your water use and provide water saving recommendations to improve the water use efficiency of your business. This includes going above and beyond to provide customized audits to meet the unique need of customers, and by providing industry benchmarks, where possible, to help customers improve efficiencies and reduce water related costs.

For example, Santa Rosa Water is working on a pilot program with craft breweries to quantify water use of the production methods and behavioral practices. The goal of the project is to provide a benchmark, tools, and rebates to assist in reducing water related costs as well as reducing associated wastewater costs.

  1. Learn From Your Peers Water Saving Success Stories

Santa Rosa businesses are saving water and money by utilizing industry best practices, free water audits and available rebates.

For example, the Sonoma County Fairgrounds recently used free audit results and water saving recommendations from Santa Rosa Water to retrofit indoor water fixtures (i.e. toilets, urinals and sink aerators) by utilizing the City’s Sustained Reduction Rebate. The result was a 50% reduction in water use or the equivalent of saving 750,000 gallons of water per year.

  1. Evaluate Recommended Water Saving Options for Your Business

Santa Rosa Water can help you determine the return on investment for implementing water-saving options that utilize industry best practices for:

  • Reducing the flow of water
  • Modifying equipment or installing water saving fixtures
  • Replacing existing equipment with more water efficient equipment
  • Implementing water treatment, recycling, and reuse on-site
  • Changing to a waterless process

Santa Rosa Water offers a number of rebates, including a Sustained Reduction Rebate paying up to $200 for every 1,000 gallons of sustainable reduction in monthly water use that is achieved. For more information on rebates visit: srcity.org/bizrebate

  1. Educate Employees About Improving Water-Use Efficiency

Creating a workplace culture that takes pride in efficiency can improve water savings.

  • Encourage employees to report leaks and problems with plumbing and irrigation equipment
  • Give recognition to employees who take the initiative to save water

For example, Amy’s Kitchen took the initiative to educate employees about the importance of water use efficiency. By empowering their employees to find additional water savings opportunities in their operations they were able to meet their savings goals as well as help employees save water and money at home.

Looking for water savings tips for employees? Need some help providing training? Contact Santa Rosa Water at 707.543.3985, email wue@srcity.org, or visit srcity.org/wue.