The Multiple Benefits of Water Conservation: Defining the environmental and social benefits of landscape transformation programs, is a brief summary document that highlights findings from a comprehensive literature review on the various benefits attributed to urban water conservation. Specifically, information was sought on the benefits attributed to turf replacement programs because they are ubiquitous across the state, will likely continue into the future, and can achieve multi-objective water management goals. The intent was to identify metrics and other qualitative measures not traditionally factored into water management decisions for outdoor water use efficiency and compile the information to make it readily accessible to water managers, conservation staff and other interested parties.
Findings from the landscape-specific literature review have been synthesized into downloadable cut sheets, as part of CalWEP’s landscape tool series, representing a specific benefit theme provided by the Pacific Institute’s multi-benefit framework: 1) Water, 2) Energy, 3) Risk & Resilience, 4) Land & Environment, and 5) People & Communities.
This summary and its associated cut sheets can be utilized by water agency staff to achieve any of the following:
Note that all references cited will be uploaded to the Pacific Institutes searchable multi-benefit database no later than June 25, 2020 and can be accessed by clicking here.
APPENDIX
These resources were made possible with support from the California Department of Water Resources. They build upon work undertaken by the Pacific Institute to integrate the multi-benefits of water management into decision-making frameworks.
