Using Water Wisely: How Construction Can Help the Environment
This past summer has been one of high temperatures and little rain. So far the summer of 2015 has seen more smoke than rain from forest fires which blanket Alberta. In drought like conditions like these this lack of water is even more evident for the arid parts of Southern Alberta.
Environmental protection is as important for Construction as it is for all parts of society. Water use is a critical part of environmental stewardship.
In the USA the Environmental protection agency has an app that helps residential and commercial construction contractors to know which plants would be likely too heavy water users as well as what are natural plants for the local environment. This would be important in landscaping in areas with arid climates.
Click here for more information about the app
In Canada a researcher at the University of Guelph is looking into ways to use water efficiently in concrete construction. Stella Bezerra suggests that some stages of concrete production, such as washing out trucks, can use less water or alternative sources of water. Rainwater and water used to wash trucks can be reused in concrete production.
“The use of alternative water sources is also important because you are not using higher quality drinking water for producing concrete,” she says. “You still need a reasonable quality, but you can use alternative sources.”