Santa Fe and EPA Partnership Highlights the Power of Water Conservation

The City of Santa Fe partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program and Eastern Research Group on a new study. The study looks at how saving water can also save energy and money while reducing carbon emissions.

The resulting study examined energy use throughout Santa Fe's municipal water system and in residential water heating, putting numbers behind the broader benefits of decades of water conservation. The partnership grew out of conversations at the 2023 Next Generation Water Summit.

Since 2000, Santa Fe's per-capita water use has fallen nearly 30%, even as the city's population grew by approximately 40%. Total water production decreased by about 20% during the same period.

Compared with what demand could have been if per-capita water use had remained at 2000 levels, the study estimates Santa Fe's conservation efforts resulted in annual savings of approximately:

• 3,815 acre-feet of water

• 9.8 million kWh of electricity from water system operations

• $1.04 million in electricity costs

• 8.8 million pounds of carbon emissions from water system operations

"The study quantifies how decades of water conservation have significantly reduced electricity consumption, operational costs, and greenhouse gas emissions-demonstrating that water efficiency is one of Santa Fe's most impactful sustainability investments."

- Holly Cannon, Senior Environmental Scientist

The study also gives Santa Fe new tools to measure the energy and carbon impacts of water conservation and guide future sustainability investments. The City hopes the work can serve as a blueprint for other communities interested in understanding the connection between water conservation, energy use, and carbon emissions.

Visit our website to read the full study.