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BEAM P

LUS FOR

E

XISTING

B

UILDINGS

W

ATER

U

SE

(W

U

)

V

ERSION

1.2

Copyright © 2012 BEAM Society Limited. All rights reserved.

Page 88

5

W

ATER

U

SE

5.P

P

REREQUISITE

5.1

W ATER C ONSERVATION

5.2

E FFLUENT

I

NTRODUCTION

Water is known to be in scarce supply in many parts of the world, even

though it is also in surplus elsewhere. Globally, water conservation is

already a major issue [1]. Hong Kong has long enjoyed a reliable and

economic supply of most of its fresh water needs from the Mainland.

However, with increased industrialisation of Guangdong Province there

is likely to be greater competition for water supply, meaning that water

conservation may become a significant issue for Hong Kong in the

future.

Hong Kong should look into ways to improve the utilisation and

conservation of water resources.

5.P P

REREQUISITES

W

U

P1 W

ATER

Q

UALITY

S

URVEY

W

U

P2 M

INIMUM

W

ATER

S

AVING

P

ERFORMANCE

W

U

P3 W

ATER

C

ONSERVATION

P

LAN

B

ACKGROUND

In Hong Kong, the WSD controls water quality, such as taste, odour,

hardness, sediment, pH, the quantity of dissolved iron, etc., in order to

provide water that meets the Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality

recommended by

the World Health Organization (WHO).

Samples are

taken at treatment works, service reservoirs, consumer taps and

analysed at site and at WSD’s laboratories. Nevertheless, the

unsatisfactory quality of potable water delivered at taps may be due to

the corrosion of water pipes or the cleanliness of water tanks. As a

consequence the use of bottled water is common, but is not considered

to be an environmentally preferred solution due to the production and

transport requirements. To ensure the health of building users, designers

need to ensure optimal potable water quality at the tap - potable water

that is both safe and acceptable in terms of taste, colour and odour.

It is also necessary to reduce the potable water consumption. This can

be achieved through the application of water saving fixtures and the use

of non-potable water (e.g. harvested rainwater and recycled grey water)

and implementation of a water conservation plan.

5.1 W

ATER

C

ONSERVATION

W

U

1 A

NNUAL

W

ATER

U

SE

W

U

2 M

ONITORING AND

C

ONTROLS

W

U

3 W

ATER

U

SE FOR

I

RRIGATION

W

U

4 W

ATER

R

ECYCLING

W

U

5 W

ATER

A

UDIT

W

ATER

S

UPPLY

Except for a small number of villages scattered in the remotest areas,

over 99.9 per cent of Hong Kong’s population receives piped fresh water

supply of purity that, according to WSD, is among the best to be found

anywhere. Sea water is supplied to about 80 per cent of the population

for toilet flushing, though mains fresh water is supplied to areas that are

not close to the seafront, or where the population is scattered and

sparse. Raw water from the Dongjiang River in Guangdong continues to

be Hong Kong’s main source of supply and makes up about 70-80 per

cent of Hong Kong’s needs.

In 2007 the average daily consumption of fresh water was 2.61 million

1

OECD. Environmental Performance Reviews - Water. Performance and Challenges in OECD Countries. 2003.

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/12/38/2498050.pdf