Water Conservation
At the Bethesda Campus, the Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations (ORF) conducts the primary activities for water policy management and development activities. The Division of Property Management is responsible for the design, construction, renovation, repair and operation of the physical facilities on the Bethesda Campus. The Division's Utilities Operations is responsible for audits, feasibility studies, and implementation of conservation measures on NIH facilities. The Division of Environmental Protection (DEP) takes the lead in overall environmental stewardship and sustainability at the NIH. Representatives from each of these divisions have formed a team to address long-standing, critical water (and energy) management issues on the campus.
The team has developed its objectives and targets for the 5-year timeframe based on the requirements of Executive Order 13123 and the Energy Policy Act of 1992. The campus is undergoing considerable facility construction and renovations, and as a consequence maintaining an effective water management program is particularly challenging. The long term purpose of the water management program is to optimize water consumption on campus through a combination of policies, best available technologies, operations and maintenance, and campus-wide water conservation awareness and participation.
The near-term objectives of the water conservation program are to conduct feasibility studies of commonly-employed water conservation measures and, wherever appropriate implement them. The team will lead the effort in developing a campus-wide water conservation plan that will include addressing the longer-term goals of increasing awareness and designing water conservation measures into building design and renovation.
If you would like more information about this program, please contact Greg Leifer
Tracking Our Water Conservation Progress
How NIH Meets Water Conservation Objectives coming soon
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