Paul C. Lauenstein
4 Gavins Pond Road
Sharon, MA 02067
781-784-2986
[email protected]
June 28, 2006
MWRA Board of Directors
100 First Avenue
Charlestown, MA 02129
To the MWRA Board of Directors:
My name is Paul Lauenstein. I am a member of WSCAC representing
the Neponset River Watershed Association. I live in Sharon, where I
serve on the Water Committee. The following views are my own.
As you know, Sharon is one of the communities targeted for system
expansion. Average water use in Sharon is near the state standard of
65 gallons per capita daily. The problem is that demand increases by
over 500/0 in summer1, largely due to lawn irrigation, straining the
limits of our local wells.
As the town grows, where will the water come from? If we pump our
wells harder, we'll further desiccate the wetlands that purify and store
much of our drinking water.
Sharon could use water more efficiently. Sophisticated lawn irrigation
system controllers can eliminate sprinkling in the rain. Front-load
washing machines, high-efficiency toilets, and low-flow showerheads
can reduce indoor water use. Automated leak detection systems can
help lower unaccounted-for water. A concerted water conservation
effort could significantly reduce water use in Sharon2•
The alternative is to import supplemental MWRA water from central
Massachusetts. This option is more expensive than conservation2,
but it is also more convenient. Readily available MWRA water allows
local officials to pay lip service to conservation and neglect local
water sources.
MWRA itself proposed a costly scheme to import water when faced
with rising demand in the 1980's. It was only after this plan was
rejected that MWRA undertook aggressive conservation measures,
which turned out to be remarkably effective3.
If MWRA were a for-profit enterprise, it would strive to sell as much
water as possible to the highest bidder. However, as a public trust,
MWRA's objective should be to optimize the overall benefit of the
water under its stewardship to the people of Massachusetts.
System expansion would increase the amount of water that MWRA
must treat, and increase costs. MWRA's energy and chemical costs
alone are projected to rise 20% next year to $40 million dollars4•
Presumably that would have been $60 million without the demand
reduction of the past two decades. As a public trust, MWRA should
also consider the capital costs associated with system expansion,
because Massachusetts citizens would pay them.
In addition to higher costs, system expansion would entail an
environmental cost-the value of ecosystem services that could be
provided by the water if it were not sold to the suburbs. Mass.
Audubon estimated the average value of ecosystem services
provided by wetlands at $15,000 per acre per year5. That's fifteen
times more than the $1,000 per acre per year they estimated for
forests. Water makes all the difference.
The true value of ecosystem services is hard to overestimate, since
we all depend on complex natural processes that cannot be
replicated. Biosphere2, an artificial ecosystem costing $150 million
dollars, could not even sustain 8 people6. That's $19 million per
person. At that rate, very few could buy their way out of an
environmental collapse, even if reliable artificial ecosystems were
available.
Some say that system expansion would provide water to restore
stressed rivers in eastern Massachusetts. However, the targeted
suburban communities want supplementary water mainly to satisfy
peak summer demand caused by lawn irrigation, most of which
evaporates. An attractive lawn is possible with no irrigation at alf.
Mankind now has the power to deplete the planet's resources to the
point of crippling the ecosystems that sustain us. We have already
depleted the fish in the oceans. Rainforests and open spaces are
disappearing at an alarming rate9. The air we breathe contains over
35°,10 more carbon dioxide 10. Global warming threatens to flood our
cities 11 •
In this context, the downward trend of MWRA water use stands out
as a beacon of hope. Reducing water use in a major metropolitan
area by one third over the past two decades, despite increasing
population, shows that lower consumption is compatible with growth
and a high standard of living.
As directors of MWRA, and community leaders, I urge you to think
long-term and err on the side of caution, sparing as much water as
possible for our vital ecosystems. Instead of system expansion,
promote water efficiency and keeping water local. Hold suburban
communities to high standards of water efficiency before allowing
them to supplement their local water supplies at the expense of rivers
in central Massachusetts. In the long run, water efficiency is the true
win-win-win solution because it saves money, preserves local water
resources, and augments valuable ecosystem services for our
children and grandchildren.
Sincerely yours,
(Jcud
Paul Lauenstein
Bibliography
1. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection 2005 Public Water
Supply Annual Statistical Report, Town of Sharon, page 8 of 27
2. Paul Lauenstein, The Economics of Water Conservation in Sharon, (unpublished)
2005, pages 10-11
3. Sandra Postel, liquid Assets, Worldwatch Institute, 2005, page 34
4. MWRA Advisory Board staff presentation to March 16, 2006 Advisory Board
Meeting, Attachment A-Proposed FY07 Current Expense Budget
5. Kevin Breunig, Mass Audubon, Losing Ground: At What Cost? Technical Notes,
2003, page 44
6. http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/generalscience/biosphere2
001110.html
7. Sharon Water Management Advisory Committee, $ecrets of a Waterl~ss Lawn,
Sharon Water Department water bill insert, 2006
8. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sea1852.doc.htm
9. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/06/0626amazonrainforest.
html
10. http://www.geology.iastate.edu/gccourse/chem/gases/gaseslecturenew.html
11. Davis Guggenheim, An Inconvenient Truth, documentary film, 2006