Water Use Reduction at the John Minor Wisdom US Court of Appeals Building in New Orleans, LA
Water usage is best optimized across systems. Working across teams to repair faulty systems and use new sustainable technology can help reduce usage. The John Minor Wisdom United States Court of Appeals Building in New Orleans is a great example of how far good coordination can reduce water use.
Project Background
The 246,000 square foot five story John Minor Wisdom United States Court of Appeals Building built in 1915 in New Orleans, LA is classified as a National Historical Landmark. Between fiscal year 2021 and 2022, the asset had its water usage reduced by 50.74% or 1,346,100 gallons. This was a direct result of the combined efforts and due diligence from the operations and maintenance (O&M) contractor and the building management team.
The reduction in water usage was due to three main factors:
- Optimizing and monitoring the cooling towers,
- Repairing faulty systems
- Using a new sustainable technology
Sustainability Features
The O&M Contractor and New Orleans field office team identified and replaced a faulty valve in the cooling towers that aids in maintaining water levels to prevent blowdown water loss and overflow. They also ensured that the chemical levels in the cooling tower were kept in equilibrium so that the cooling tower performed as intended. Maintaining the chemicals in the cooling towers is vital to preventing blowdown and other water loss. The team ensured that the maintenance contractor was thorough and applied the appropriate amount of chemicals to optimize cooling tower performance and reduce water loss.
The O&M Contractor and the building management team also identified and replaced a faulty poly valve on the domestic water skid. This is the valve responsible for maintaining the building's water pressure. A faulty poly-valve on a domestic water skid can result in increased water pressure and increased water usage.
Additionally, the building has sustainable water conserving toilets with automatic pressure assisted valves powered by batteries. If not maintained properly, the toilets will continually run. The O&M Contractor and building management team ensured that these were being maintained and replaced toilet cartridge/flush kits when damaged to ensure maximum water conservation throughout the building.
These combined efforts resulted in a 50.74% water reduction in fiscal year 2022, with significant cost savings and lowering their water use intensity to 5.238 gal/gsf. The building’s water use intensity was also significantly lower than the National Average (9.21 gal/gsf) and Regional average (11.55 gal/gsf).
