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Last update - 22:01 25/08/2008 How Grandma Rachel conserved water By Amiram Cohen Tags: Lake Kinneret, Environment  Grandma Rachel, may she rest in peace, once had a solar water boiler on the roof of her home. Before showering in the morning, she would place a bucket underneath the hot water faucet. While waiting for the hot water to emerge from the faucet, she would fill up the bucket with the cold-lukewarm water that was available for the time being. She would then use that water to rinse the toilet, wash the floor, clean the dishes that piled up in the sink, and water the plants on the porch. "Nobody is going to tell me how to conserve water," she would angrily say when watching a television broadcast about the receding water levels of the Kinneret. If everyone would simply use the cold water that comes out before hot water began flowing from the faucets, the country would save a million of buckets worth every year. "I would completely forbid the use of Jacuzzis," she said. Grandma Rachel was wrong. Before the water in the shower heats up, some two to six liters of cold and lukewarm water go down the drain, depending on the floor one lives on. It is possible to conserve between 300-400 million buckets of water nationwide, the equivalent amount of water consumed by a city with a population of 250,000. Advertisement According to statistics published by the Knesset's research division, nothing has been done in the last decade to save water in either the municipal or household sectors, despite the fact that the growing problem of dwindling water supplies was known to all the relevant decision makers, as well as to the public at large. Shaul Arlozorov, the chairman of the public committee entrusted with examining how the water supply is managed, estimated as far back as the mid-1990s that municipalities and local councils had the potential to save up to 150 million cubic meters of water per year, one-fifth of the total amount of water this sector consumes annually. Today, it is clear that attempts at scare-mongering and preaching to the public have not helped in conserving water. Perhaps this is because our society does not resemble the one that Grandma Rachel lived in. She could scold her neighbors if she saw them washing their cars with a hose, and would call city hall if she saw a leaky fire hydrant down the block. But we do not need to adopt the methods of Grandma Rachel in order to save water. Not only because these methods are no longer suited to contemporary Israelis' way of thinking, but also because they entirely depend on the goodwill of the average citizen. There are two ways to save water: Hit people in the wallet, or take administrative steps against them. By hitting in the wallet, we mean hiking the costs of water consumption, which is customary even in European countries with an abundance of water. Household water usage in these countries costs the equivalent of NIS 10-15 per cubic meter, beginning with the first cubic meter. An increase in water rates would certainly necessitate compensation for those of lesser means, either through increased National Insurance Institute stipends or via other welfare agencies. Administrative steps involve formulating a list of regulations and ordnances mandating the public to install conservation-friendly faucets and devices. The Madgal factory in Kibbutz Galil Yam has developed a "smart" faucet, which channels cold water remaining in the pipe back to the water boiler. This allows for hot water to flow immediately through the faucet the next time one takes a shower. Assuming that this product, which is expected to be available at stores beginning in 2009, is effective, reliable, and worthy of the necessary approval, the authorities must require housing contractors to install it in every new apartment that has a solar water heater. Tenants of older apartments must also be required to install such smart faucets. In recent years, some public buildings have been outfitted with electronic faucets that open and close automatically after receiving an electro-magnetic signal. Use of such a faucet can save between 10 and 20 percent of the average water bill in a five-person household. The market also offers "haskhamim," an older technology that reduces the flow through the faucet. The authorities have failed to properly promote these faucets because they are still considerably more expensive than standard ones. It would behoove the state to encourage the public to use them, since the investment is negligible compared with the cost of desalination of water for household use in the country once we won't be able to pump from the Kinneret and the deep-water reservoirs become oversalinated. With respect to accessories geared toward conservation, Israel's record is in fact positive. Despite earlier doubts, almost every home in Israel has a two-flush mechanism on the toilet. Nonetheless, it may be necessary to have inspectors visit homes unannounced in order to make sure that the haskhamim and smart faucets have indeed been installed. True, these steps are not democracy at its finest, but it is preferable to take them rather than reach the point where in another two to three years we will be able to examine the floor of the Kinneret from the deepest point of the lake. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Bad company Madonna draws ire for picturing John McCain near Hitler during a recent show. Raw energy An unemployed Israeli ecologist has a solution to the fuel crisis and global warming.   1.   Leftists waste water, planting during Shmittah 22:23  |  Binyamin Dissen 25/08/08   2.   conservation 00:31  |  potobac 26/08/08   3.   Simple Solutions 02:59  |  Heiko Wimmen 26/08/08   4.   Israel gives FREE water to Jordan, Arab municipalities 03:30  |  Moshe 26/08/08   5.   Screw the gadgets - raise the price tenfold! 06:40  |  Joe Sittizen 26/08/08   6.   To Moshe 11:02  |  Nadav 26/08/08

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