Save Water

We came to an end as we made our way to the last site visit of the class; The Tarrant Regional Water District's Annex building is a LEED-Gold Certified structure. Our tour guide, Laura Blaylock, began the tour with a little information about TRWD. 80% of the water in North Texas is on the southend of the state and they need to bring it uphill from the lakes to the populated areas. This is an area of operations and sustainability that Laura concentrates on. The sources of water are all man-made lakes for the exception of one. Some of the lakes are Cedar Creek Lake, Richland Chambers Lake, Lake Arlington, Eagle Mountain Lake among others. Laura also let us know that water conservation is the biggest return on investment for them, and it is another form of water supply for other uses.

 As we continued through the building, the sustainability part of the class began and we were informed that the floors we were standing on were of a cork product and fully harvested. Another area of flooring is made up of uncovered concrete with a beeswax product that seals it and give it a shiny look. The furniture in the welcome areas is all made from recycled products and all paint on the walls contain low volatile organic compounds or VOCs. In addition, all steel that makes up the structure has 40% recycled content and all materials that were used to make the structure of the building such as the steel, stone, etc. were brought from a 500 mile radius. The U.S. Green Building Council - LEED also awarded the building points for having an open concept with no dropped ceilings. The breakroom countertops are also cement with the beeswax seal and the cabinets are made out of medium dense fiber board or MDF. A white film is inserted between the glass windows of the offices which allows it to serve as their dry-erase boards.

 All glass that surrounds the building is Low-E glass and the HVAC is centrally controlled in the Annex. The carpets are from recycled soda pop bottle products and the water fixtures are of course, low-flow. There are solar panels providing 15% to 16% of the total energy and covering about 19,000 square feet of the building. As we made our way into the back of the building, we were impressed with the giant rain barrels or tanks that were bought and made in Austin. When it rains, the water runs down to the roof gutters which then runs to each end and into 2,500 gallon tanks where it is recycled. This water is used for the irrigation system underground which waters the shrubs and trees only. The grass is never watered since they installed drought resistant grass and plants in the those green areas.

 Laura continued to educate us by mentioning the numerous conservation projects going on in the lakes. They are always trying to keep the runoffs clean and from being filled with dirt. Lakes are constantly turning water from bottom to the top and at times it carries the dirt up to the top where it is being pumped by TRWD. They also participate with dairy farms and ranchers on cattle management and soil management projects. Laura also expressed her concerns about the amount of water that is wasted in the summers since 60% of treated water is poured out into the lawns. To learn more about TRWD and their great tips on how to conserve water please visit the TRWD Website.

As the day came to an end, my interest and amazement on sustainability grew more with each presentation. I am very grateful to have taken this class because I was never aware of sustainability efforts at my Company other than recycling. I am now more aware of the issues that societies and buildings can have and how simple it is to make to those changes. Sometimes those simple changes can cost you a pretty penny but it can be done one step at a time instead of trying to change every aspect of a building. In the end, the returns are great and it will be a decision that you will never regret.