U.S. Water News Online
AMHERST, Mass. -- The state is endeavoring to save millions of dollars annually through conservation, and some of the most ambitious efforts are at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.
Thousands of toilets and faucets have already been replaced to reduce water consumption at the state's flagship university, and dozens of hybrid vehicles are being purchased with the goal of cutting energy costs by about $6 million per year, or 25 percent of the campus utility bill.
The project began in the spring of 2004 and the work is on schedule to be completed in the fall, said conservation planner David E. Lewis of the state Division of Capital Asset Management.
To date, 3,400 toilets have been replaced with models that use less water and 4,200 faucets have been retrofitted to reduce water consumption, Lewis said.
About 120,000 light fixtures have been replaced or fitted with bulbs that are more efficient and of lower wattage, and about 5,000 linear feet of steam pipe has been replaced, he said.
"It looks pretty good. ... Progress is going pretty much as we expected," Lewis said.
The university used about 450 million gallons annually before the conservation plan kicked off. After the work is completed, water use on campus is expected to be reduced by about 78 million gallons a year.
The recent purchase of 54 hybrid vehicles for the state's executive branch -- which includes most of the departments that make up state government -- may seem to be minor when considering there are about 3,200 vehicles in the state fleet. But 54 is up from five hybrid vehicles.
"I think this is a really ... exciting moment for the state," said Eric H. Friedman, director of state sustainability in the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.
Buying the hybrid vehicles helps reduce gasoline usage and has an environmental benefit, he said.
Any municipality in Massachusetts has the option to buy the same model hybrid vehicles for the price paid by the state, he said.
Friedman said his office is working with the large state agencies, as well as public colleges and universities, to help develop their own conservation programs.
"Some agencies have dozens and dozens of facilities and hundreds and hundreds of buildings," he said.
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