On this page:

• Federal Green Challenge Water Goals
• Protecting Water Resources
• Case Studies (Success Stories)

Federal Green Challenge Water Goals

Relative to your baseline, reduce the following by 5% or more annually:

• Amount of water consumed
• Amount of stormwater runoff from existing sites

Protecting Water Resources

• Agriculture
  • Help protect groundwater and surface water.
• Landscaping
  • Use native plants to reduce water and pesticide usage
  • Adjust sprinkler heads to ensure that plants are being watered, not pavement
  • Use drip irrigation instead of conventional watering
  • Water during the early hours or evening to reduce evaporation
  • Install rain or moisture sensors to turn the irrigation systems off when rainfall occurs
• Recycled Water
  • Learn about water recycling and reuse, including the benefits of water recycling and the future of water recycling.
• Restrooms/Bathrooms
  • WaterSense - An EPA Partnership Program
  • Install high-efficiency toilets, aerators, shower heads, and other water fixtures
  • Encourage users to reduce their water usage
  • Detect and repair leaks
• Stormwater Runoff
  • Meet the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) Section 438 requirements for sites undergoing development
  • Reduce existing impervious surfaces and replace with natural landscaping
  • Replace existing impervious surfaces with permeable materials
  • Increase the footprint of on-site green infrastructure systems
  • Capture and use stormwater for non-potable uses
  • Plant trees and other natural vegetation to improve natural hydrologic function of site
  • Use soil amendments to improve infiltration rates of vegetated areas
  • Best practices and case studies can be found atEPA's Green Infrastructure site
• Other
  • Sweep parking areas rather than hosing them
  • Install submeters to measure water use by subprocess or specific pieces of equipment
  • Switch from potable to nonpotable water for applications that do not require potable water
• Measurement
  • Energy Star Portfolio Manager - you can track your water use
• Recognition
  • WaterSense Partner of the Year Awards
  • Federal Energy and Water Management Award Exit

Case Studies (Success Stories)

• GSA in Chicago saves more than 150,000 gallons of water in one year
• The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board headquarters in Chicago reduced potable water use nearly 18 percent in one year
• NASA partners with the City of Sunnyvale, CA to reduce potable water consumption and reuse more water

More case studies are available at the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program

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