Alternative Selection - How to incorporate Sustainability

Most alternative selection is currently based on NPV (net present worth) analysis of capital and O&M costs. While that is still required, incorporating sustainability is almost required these days to have a viable fit-for-purpose asset selection. Most agencies and engineers are confused with how to incorporate sustainability principles into their decision making process. Enclosed is a presentation where Water Corporation made a proactive approach to start incorporating sustainability principles into design decisions.

I was involved in this project while working for W2W Alliance.

Design Build Project Delivery

This is the presentation I gave at CWEA 2011, Ontario.  I believe that Design-Build is where our water and wastewater industry should and will head in the future, especially now that many other industries (Transportation, Energy, Oil & Gas, Buildings, Federal, etc.) have gone that direction. This project delivery method is particularly suited for small projects (capital cost <= $5M) and very large projects (capital cost >= $500M). For projects in between, owners should look at combining few projects in a package and issue them as design-build.

Proteus Consulting has developed a comprehensive training program for consulting engineering firms desiring to enter the design-build arena and partner with construction firms. Most of these firms are traditional consulting engineers who find it very difficult to adjust to the pace and culture of design build, particularly adjusting with contractors and their priorities and pace of work. We have four, three hour modules, designed specifically to address these challenges and help with the culture transition. These modules address the lessons learned from design-build project delivery and will help the engineering firms effectively plan the deliverables, streamlining design management, and thereby maximizing the profit potential.

For the Owners, Proteus Consulting is very pleased to assist as Owner's Representative / Program Manager.

Half Yearly Report - Proteus Consulting

Proteus Consulting is six months old this week. It has been a really good experience and future prospects look bright. While we have some nice projects to work on, more importantly, we met some fantastic people and built relationships that will yield great results ahead. Listed below is a brief overview of our company's progress since October 2010.

Proteus Consulting has six major offerings:

• Traditional Engineering
• Design-Build Engineering and Consulting
• Management Consulting
• Regulatory Compliance and Grants
• Operations and Maintenance Consulting
• Sustainability Frontiers

Traditional Engineering. We worked on four projects in the last six months and details on these projects can be found here. Into the future, we are looking at some very promising projects, three such projects are in the contracting phase and there are seven more on the horizon in the next six months.

Design-Build Engineering and Consulting. Over the last six months Proteus Consulting has developed very good relationships with the following contractors Filanc, Stanek Constructors Inc., TC Construction Company, Neal Electric, Meruelo Construction, Doty Brothers Construction Company, and PCL. We have reviewed few design-build projects together and proposed on one such venture. In the coming six months this service offering will develop further. Soma is also presenting at CWEA this April on Design Build Project Delivery.

Management Consulting. Proteus Consulting believes in continuous improvement and striving to achieve the most efficient and effective organization. To this effect Proteus Consulting has assembled a group of experts to help our clients achieve excellence. Our major teaming partners are DestinHaus, BHIConsulting, FCS Group, and TMG Communications, Inc. Proteus had one project in this arena in the last six months and other assignments are in the works.

Regulatory Compliance and Grants. Most projects in the public utility arena cannot happen without grants. Proteus Consulting has partnered with two experts who help us find the best grants for our clients and also to write applications. Proteus Consulting is also committed to help our clients achieve regulatory compliance. There is a plethora of regulations and stipulations that our clients have to deal with everyday, we are their extension of staff - we work through the cumbersome reporting requirements and help them achieve compliance. We helped the City of Oceanside with a critical issue.

Operations and Maintenance Consulting. Proteus Consulting provides this unique service to our clients where we have On-call Operations & Maintenance experts to troubleshoot issues and provide solutions - we provide an O&M SWAT Team.  We have a team of very talented and experienced professionals that can help our clients resolve issues at their facilities - be it water, wastewater, recycled water, membrane plants, etc. Proteus Consulting also creates custom O&M manuals tailored to the needs of operators, supervisors, engineers, managers, and leadership. In addition, we provide customized training program - basic system training, site specific system training, detailed system data monitoring and data interpretation training.

Sustainability Frontiers. This is the most exciting prospect for Proteus Consulting. We are interested in and very active in every aspect of sustainable solutions including but not limited to  Rainwater Harvesting, Graywater Systems, LEED Certification and Design, CleanTech, Green Solutions, and  Water-Energy Nexus.  We have several partners that we work with and this space will be something to watch for in the future.

Invited Talks. Proteus Consulting was invited to give the following talks:

• Strategies for Improving Professional Life and Workplace, Society Of Women Engineers (SWE), Nov 2010
• Singapore and Australia: How are they dealing with water problems?, Council of Water Utilities (COWU), October 2010

There are two more talks planned in the upcoming six months. Soma is very happy to speak at public events on variety of topics related to the water and wastewater industry, sustainability, and personal/professional development. Feel free to contact us to schedule a talk on a topic that interests you.

Conference Presentations. Proteus Consulting has the following papers / presentations scheduled this year :

• Design Build Project Delivery: Myth & Reality, Thursday April 14th, at 10:00AM, CWEA 2011
• Alternative Selection – a multi-faceted approach to meet the needs of the future, Friday April 15th, at 10:00AM,  CWEA 2011
• Vacuum Sewers – a viable alternative for wastewater collection and transport in coastal areas, COPRI 2011

There are few abstracts submitted and under review for upcoming conferences. Proteus Consulting is very pleased to be able present technology papers that help define the future of the water and wastewater industry.

In The News. Proteus Consulting has been quoted in two articles in the last six months: 

• Proactive, multipronged approach needed to secure water sources, experts say, The Daily Transcript, March 2011
• Purple-Colored Conservation - Decentralized reclamation and reuse for water savings, Water Efficiency, December 2010

Proteus Consulting has been interviewed by KPBS for a piece on water management in the San Diego area. This will be aired in the coming months as a part of their plan to start a conversation on effective water use and management of water in our desert county.

Volunteer Work. Soma Bhadra, Proteus Consulting's CEO strongly believes in giving back and helping our water and wastewater community to grow. With this is mind, she holds the following positions as volunteer.

• Vice Chair II - CWEA Training and Certification Executive Committee
• Vice Chair - San Diego Water For People
• Training and Certification Chair - CWEA San Diego Section
• Awards Committee - CWEA San Diego Section

Regulatory Compliance and Grants - Half Yearly Report

Proteus Consulting offers the following services to our clients: Grant and Loan Analysis and Applications, NPDES / WDR Permit Applications, Title 22 Engineering Reports, Water Recycling Permit Applications, Groundwater Recharge Permits, State and Federal Regulatory Approvals,   California DPH Regulatory Approvals, Permit Management Plans, Regulatory Compliance Reports, Annual Reports, Assistance with encroachment permits and planning approvals. In the last six months we have worked on the following project:

Haymar Avenue Discharge Technical Report and Response, City of Oceanside, CA. Proteus Consulting assisted the City of Oceanside to prepare a formal response to Investigative Order No. R9-2011-0035 issued by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Diego Region, to the City of Oceanside. The response letter and accompanying 1,200+ page Technical Report furnished all the requested information on the nature, circumstances, extent, and impacts related to the discharge of untreated sewage to Buena Vista Creek, Buena Vista Lagoon and the Pacific Ocean from a 15-inch gravity sewer line near North Haymar Drive from December 23 – 28, 2010. This discharge occurred when an existing 50+ year old VCP pipeline failed during a heavy storm event. While relocation plans for this critical pipeline was ready for implementation for over four years, the project was unfortunately held up in the permitting process.

Management Consulting - Half Yearly Report

Proteus Consulting offers the following Management Consulting services to our clients: Project Diagnostics, Project Planning, SWOT and PESTLE Analysis, Organizational Transformation, On-call to address unforeseen issues, Crisis management, Project Process Audits, Long-range Risk Analysis and Scenario Planning.  Proteus Consulting is committed to strengthen our client's organizational and operational structure to enable them address challenges in the future - whatever they may be.


Risk Assessment and Scenario Planning, Encina Wastewater Authority, Carlsbad CA. Proteus Consulting was been invited by Encina Wastewater Authority (EWA) to participate in a series of risk assessment workshops to enable long-range scenario planning for EWA. This exercise was conducted with BHI Management Consulting and was aimed to prepare EWA for emerging risks; test the organization’s long-term strategy and resilience; expand and enrich the planning discussion; create a successful implementation plan; understand and apply change management and motivation principles; apply attention to detail in the risk matrix/risk register; maintain the quality and rigor of the risk assessment process to select the best policy option, implement multiple risk assessments, and resolve contradictory stakeholder agendas.

Traditional Engineering - Half Yearly Report

Proteus can expertly perform any projects in the water-wastewater arena from project inception to final completion and handover. We are proficient in Feasibility Reports, Alternatives Development & Evaluation,  Preliminary Design, Project Implementation Plans, Construction Plans, Specifications, and Estimates, Budget and Schedule Management, Bid Phase Assistance, Shop Drawing Submittal Review, Field Engineering, Construction Inspection, Contract Administration & Scheduling. Apart from that we also offer Quality Management Programs and Technical Evaluation and Support.

In the last six months (October 2010 through March 2011) we have worked on the following projects:

• Aquifer Study and Preliminary Design at MCAGCC, 29 Palms, CA. Proteus Consulting had teamed with Rore Inc. to conduct a hydrogeological/aquifer study and engineering feasibility study for potable water supply at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at 29 Palms, CA. The project included a detailed review of the aquifer and groundwater well field design, demarcation of the aquifer boundaries and water quality profile, followed by preliminary design of water storage, blending facility/treatment, and water delivery infrastructure. Proteus Consulting evaluated feasible blending alternatives from varied groundwater sources to meet potable water quality objectives. This involved the conceptual design of water storage tanks, including number, size, and location, mechanical blending process configurations, and treatment options.
• Wastewater Treatment Alternative Study, SERE Camp, San Diego, CA. Proteus Consulting has teamed with Thomas/Wright, Inc. to conduct a preliminary engineering study for the wastewater treatment options at the Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training facility at the U.S. Navy's Training Site in Warner Springs, CA located in the Cleveland National Forest. It is in a remote area near the community of Warner Springs in the northeastern San Diego County, at an elevation of about 3,200 feet. The Camp consists of a headquarters area with an administrative building, several staff barracks building, a wastewater treatment plant, and a training compound. All west coast Navy/Marine Corps personnel who risk capture during wartime (e.g. aviators) undergo SERE training at this facility. The Warner Springs SERE Facility covers 6,100 acres and trains over 1,500 students each year. The project includes a detailed review of the existing treatment plant, followed by preliminary design of proposed new facilities/ upgrades. Proteus Consulting will evaluate feasible alternatives to ensure that the new plant will consistently meet the NPDES permit.
• Mt. Israel Pipeline Replacement, Olivenhain Municipal Water District, Carlsbad, CA. Proteus Consulting is contracted by OMWD for a project to design the replacement of an 8-inch potable water pipeline on Mt. Israel Road. The key elements include location of the main in County road and right-of-way, easement analysis, design of pipeline in rock, traffic issues, and community assurance. 
• Rancho La Cima/Aliso Canyon Pipeline Relocation, Olivenhain Municipal Water District, Carlsbad, CA. Proteus Consulting is contracted by OMWD for a project to design the relocation of an 8-inch PVC water pipeline at the intersection of Aliso Canyon Road and Rancho La Cima. This relocation is necessary due to a conflict with the proposed new 60-inch County storm water pipeline along Aliso Canyon Road. The intent of this project is to lower the current water main to clear the proposed storm drain.

Proteus Consulting on San Diego Daily Transcript: "Proactive, multipronged approach needed to secure water sources, experts say"

Enclosed is the link to the article where we were quoted. We sincerely hope that articles like this will generate public awareness and enthusiasm in developing Value Based Water Management solutions for San Diego and pave the path towards Water Security. Economic sustainability and prosperity can be achieved and maintained in San Diego by treating energy, water, and land use as prime security issues.

Proactive, multipronged approach needed to secure water sources, experts say (San Diego Daily Transcript)
(If this link does not work, you can email me to request a copy.)

Sustainability is to this decade as what Quality was in the 70s

The 60s saw the birth of The Quality Revolution and it took couple decades to get into the mainstream thought. Companies like Toyota and Motorola had embraced it in the 70s. They treated quality as an opportunity for process improvements rather than cost and benefited dramatically. They shot way ahead of their competitors and the latter are still playing catch-up requiring costly bail-outs from the government every now and then.

Today we are at the threshold of the Sustainability Revolution. The infancy decade for Sustainability is past, we are now on the second phase. Those who embrace it now will shoot ahead, and those who do not will fade to the background. Lip service will not be enough, this is a revolution and it calls for action, measurable action.

Companies who will derive competitive advantages from their sustainability programs will have to treat these programs as an opportunity and not simply an added cost to absorb, another risk to manage or one more regulation with which to comply with. Commitment is the key with action to follow.

Ambiguity still surrounds the term sustainability. We are bombarded with several terms - greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon footprint, global warming, water footprint, cleantech, bio mimicry, eco-engineering, etc. Most companies now have vision statements that encompass Sustainability, but the leaders of these companies are usually a bit concerned and confused on how to implement these initiatives. Here are a few pointers:

• We need a strong determined CEO to champion this cause and be highly visible to the company. He/ She sets the tone and promotes a change of thinking.
• Next he/ she needs to install carefully selected leaders in the organization who will lead and bring about continuous improvement towards sustainability - these leaders will have to come from all sectors in the company organization.
• Multi-disciplinary teams will have to be inspired to come up with sustainable operation ideas not only in products but also in processes.
• Focus on integrating sustainable processes deep into the work culture of the company. 
• Link sustainability performance indicators directly with professional growth and encourage innovation.

Sustainability is not a buzz word anymore, it's time for action. If we do not act now we only have ourselves to blame when  we lose the competitive advantage in the coming years. Proteus Consulting is committed to helping our clients achieve the next break through and surge ahead by embracing Sustainability.

Rainwater Harvesting

When San Diegans hear of Rainwater Harvesting eyebrows go up. The speaker is first labeled a left-leaning-extreme-thinker. Then the reasons why we cannot do rainwater harvesting start popping up - usually talk of perceived safety concerns of unclean water and reduction of quality of life.

Well here is how the ancient people made it work and cities lived comfortably as a result.



Note the following theme:

1. Desert civilization - dry climate similar and at times worse than San Diego
2. Respect - water was treated not as a commodity, but with respect
3. Local solution - water not shipped from thousands of miles away
4. Conservation - people used very less water per capita so everyone can use the precious resource
5. Common purpose - everyone abides by the watershed boundaries and invests sweat equity

Yes, we can do Value Based Water Management in San Diego too. We need to will it. Rainwater Harvesting is just one such option. We can do this on a house to house level as well as on a community and regional  level. We just have to think outside the box. The water insecurity in San Diego right now is appalling with more than 80% of our water coming from outside the county. We have to move towards water security if we really want to see economic prosperity and quality of life.

On a house-to-house level, we have to install rain barrels to meet our irrigation needs. Contact your local entrepreneur for ideas and solutions.  Rainthanks is one such local micro business and they do a fantastic job. Of course, moving to attractive colorful xeriscape is a good option as well.

On a community level, we need to ask the policy makers to issue programs like this one in Oakland, CA. San Diego has a program, but it's not promoted at this time. In Brisbane, I have seen how effective these programs were. It's surely worth copying. And after this starts working, we need to start looking at harvesting stormwater in our local watersheds on a regional level to enhance our water security.

Water-Energy Nexus – It’s not a pie-in-the sky anymore – It’s happening!

Proteus Consulting is implementing the Water-Energy Nexus! We have teamed with Viridity Energy to identify avenues of energy savings at water and wastewater facilities. Our team undertakes a thorough evaluation of the use of energy resources at water and wastewater facilities and develops a management algorithm to optimally schedule energy management a day-ahead and real-time energy markets. This is called Dynamic Energy Optimization.

There are many energy auditors who review facilities and identify capital improvement projects to reduce energy usage, for example, implementing VFDs on pumps and fans, or adding efficient blowers. Usually these measures have a return on investment of two to four years with subsidies from the energy companies and the government.  Then what? Well, the Proteus-Viridity Team goes a step ahead. We help create a continuous revenue stream back to the utility by real time monitoring and management of energy use and then working the energy market.

Currently, the Proteus-Viridity Team is assisting New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) to enable energy optimization at their wastewater treatment facilities that treat 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater in the five boroughs of the great city.

Value Based Water Management

Value based water management is a topic that I think of often. I believe that there is an intrinsic link between human values and what humans do to the water scape. Science and technological advances have enabled us to be better manipulators of our natural environment and made our lives more comfortable. We no longer have to walk five miles everyday to get a bucket of water and enjoy acres of lush green lawns and rain forest recreation in the middle of a dessert. We have indeed come a long way from how our ancestors lived. While we have devised new ways to secure a cocooned life, we have lost our symbiotic relationship with nature. That hurts us now in more ways than we can comprehend. In some ways, I think, in spite of all the technological advances, we have become 'stupider'!

Man is a part of nature, not above it. All ancient cultures recognized this. Be it Native Americans, the Tribes in Africa and Asia, or the Aboriginals in Australia... All these cultures had the same underlying principle (or philosophy) - "Respect nature". It was this respect that also allowed them to manipulate the environment, BUT with the emphasis on not doing any harm. Living in those days meant understanding and existing in harmony with the environment rather than dominating it. Nature was not the enemy, nor was it a commodity that can be exploited for wealth and power. Nature had a value of it's own in day to day life where every living thing (and sometimes non living thing as well) were interconnected and had a special function. Plants nourished animals, animals were then hunted for food, and then when humans expired, it became food for the pants. It was the circle of life. Yes, every ancient culture truly believed in this philosophy and practiced it diligently.  Yes, they all sought to "improve" their natural world all the time, but they limited such improvements to what was necessary. The operative words here are "as necessary", and not the indiscriminate slaughter and wasteful gathering. This material life was abhorred by ancient cultures through spiritual tenets, and these tenets were very sensitive to the balances in delicate ecosystems. They recognized that adverse interference in ecosystems threatened their own existence as wells as the natural world on which they depended and of which they were an integral part.

Where are we now? We are sitting in a big luxury motor home, cruising along a highway with no destination in sight. We are not in the driver's seat, we are just a passenger. We do not know where we are going, we don't even care. We love the comfort of this padded home and as long as the truck is moving, the scenery is good, there is fuel, water, and air conditioning, why do we have to care about anything else? Well, we have lost touch with the fundamental concept that no matter how much we think we have 'grown up', our umbilical cord is still attached with nature. There is no escape, and you cannot cut it off.

A friend put it another way: "We are like a bunch of youngsters, who got high on alcohol and drugs one night and decided to rent a boat and take a ride up and down the river. We pushed the boat into the water and started paddling away. We were drunk and drugged, mind you. We passed out after a while - it was a lot of work to just keep paddling! Dawn broke, we woke up.  We realized that we had not gone more than couple yards from the shore. What? How? Well, we forgot to lift the anchor! So there we were, paddling through the night, all drunk and drugged up and imagining a beautiful scenery go by."

Every decision and choice we make comes at a cost. We have been seasoned to not look at "total solutions" but only to put the brackets where it seems to fit us the best right now. This conditioning did not happen overnight. We all have evolved from the nature-loving ancient cultures very slowly, over 6,000 years. First we started looking at nature as a resource to be exploited, primarily for community, and hence for nation building. We justified it by saying that the common good and mutual benefits ranked higher than individual self-interest. Then, slowly that cause got morphed to a spirited individualism and an appetite for a perceived profit that heightened the exploitation of nature to new levels. Land, energy, and water got colonized in political and legal institutions generating colossal conflicts and social turmoil.

Oh well, we are where we are! What can we do now? We have to reverse engineer our way back to nature-loving humans again. The first thing we need is the will to do so. That will has to come from within each individual. The pendulum has to swing back from individualism to harmony with nature. And this swing can be accelerated by the terrific brains we already have. The brackets have to move further out, from individuals to community, and then to the whole world encompassing the entire life cycle of each element. For water, we will have to look at total water management - effectively manage every drop we have and use it most efficiently while not exploiting the natural resources. We have to become more creative on how to capture, use, and reuse water with zero discharge and waste. We also have to move away from central facilities to micro / community level facilities. We have to learn to appreciate the rhythms of nature and work with it to create opportunities, not fight it.

In subsequent blogs I will lay out my vision and plan of sustainable water management that will be synchronous with the values learned from ancient cultures. It will by no means be easy, and I am not saying that you have to go to a primitive hunter-gatherer lifestyle. We have to respect nature for what she is, and not fight her, but harmonize with her. We have the brains to do it, we just don't seem to find the will.

“Relativity applies to physics, not ethics” - Einstein

As a new business owner starting out in a tough economy, business ethics is what I am constantly aware of. I am writing this blog because I do not subscribe to the advice many have given me: "Young lady, it's better for people to wonder why you did not speak out than wonder why you did". Those who know me will point out that I am usually the first one to stand up and say - This is not right! It's not balanced! And often I have walked out of such situations where the group has decided not to pursue the ethical path.

We are indeed in hard times. At Wall Street, bright people have made immoral millions by unethical means. In the government, not a day goes by when you don't hear that some politician or public official had an ethical slip. In academia, you hear of plagiarism and of  'doctoring' data. And of course there are bribes, corruption, and a plethora of wrongs happening everyday. We sit on the sidelines and often wonder why 'nice guys finish last'.  But, do they, really? What about the emotional cost of bad ethics?  Nice guys may appear to finish last, but usually they are running a different race.

As I build my business, I will be running a different race too. No, I am not naive, as many have pointed out, I am just putting the brackets in a different place when I measure success. My success and my business' prosperity is not based on the monthly profit-loss statement, but includes the emotional quotient. Every business decision I take will make sure that the outcome is, of course legal, that my competitors are privy to the same level playing field as myself and I am not winning at their expense, and most importantly how I feel deep inside about the decision. My conscience will be my guide and my decision should build my self-esteem, not erode it. Your 'gut' is your best judge - "There is no pillow as soft as a clear conscience".

My business is five months old. It's been a fantastic journey. I have several contracts in hand and some really good prospects ahead. Yes, there have been leads that came and ebbed away with no immediate results, but then there have been some wonderful friends I have made along the way. What I have enjoyed the most is the ability to choose and decide on my own and be responsible for it. There is no ethical dilemma - I am at peace with myself and with the world around me. This is what it's all about!

Proteus Consulting - The Founding Philosophy

Proteus Consulting is ten weeks old. It has been a wonderful personal journey for me. Nothing had prepared me for all the experiences I have had in the last few weeks and I can only say that I have been enriched. I could not have asked for more, and every moment I feel as if I am 'having the time of my life'!

Many have asked me why I chose to start a business at this moment of time - bad economy, hungry and competitive market, financially squeezed clients, the apparent stupidity of leaving a stable bill paying job, perceived career-suicide,................... the list of issues is long. 

The answer I have and will always give is: There is no better time than the present moment. Starting your own business, I feel, should not be based on external factors, but totally on internal factors. If you know, deep inside that you can do it, no external factor can be large enough to stop you. More than 90% of your life is your own choice. The rest 10%, yes, you cannot control - natural disasters, accidents, etc. All you can do is accept that there will be that 10% that you will have to just deal with. Once you know deep inside that the 90% is in your control, the confidence you gain from it is immense - that itself will be the wind in your sails, you don't need anything else. It's a very personal organic feeling.

In the last two months, Proteus is not the talk of the town, making record bookings, and taking the market by storm. That was not intention either! It's a slow but sure process. Connections happen and work develops from unknown quarters - places where you never predict it will bear fruit will suddenly develop into a palpable projects. I believe that all you can control and can do in business is keep sending out positive vibes, i.e. help others succeed, and not expect anything in return. These acts of giving will build your 'good-will' potential that will open the doors to places you never could have imagined you could soar to. 

How? Help connect people with same ideas. If you find some information/lead that could help an acquaintance, just send it to him/her. Reach out across your strict professional boundaries to fields and divisions that others are wary of - there are lessons to be learned from other fields. Share your life and business lessons with everyone. Do free peer reviews. Help your prospective clients by caring for them. Trust the inherent goodness in people. Use your network to mix and mingle, exchange ideas. Focus on charity.

The Return-on Investment(ROI)? An unknown person from a big renowned firm will call you one fine morning and say that he/she wants to work with you. A friend of his/hers turned out to be a friend of one of your 'good-will' beneficiaries and you have been highly recommended. A new partnership is born, and you sail off together to win new worlds. Note, this ROI was not part of the "Business Plan", and not a 'calculated' ROI. This law of ROI cannot be mathematically calculated and is based on ancient wisdom - "Give and you shall Receive"; "Your right is to do the work and not to the fruits; the fruits of labor should not be your motive"; "Life's a boomerang, what you send out, comes back to you with something".

That's the founding principle of Proteus Consulting.  Our clients and network are and will be our sales force. We work not for the money earned on a particular project with eyes set on a bonus, we work for the good-will. Knowledge sharing and care is free at Proteus Consulting. We work for a recommendation that our client and network will provide to their peers.

Proteus Consulting - Capability Statement

The Green Car

I am thinking of buying a new car. I drive a 2001 Subaru Forester and absolutely love the car. But I know that sooner or later I will have to get a new one. So what should I get? Of course, I want to go as 'green' as possible. With the new Volt and Leaf coming to the market, the electric cars seem to be a 'greener' choice compared to the hybrids. But is it really? What if my car is actually running on coal? This article got me all worked up! Where is the electricity I am charging my car by really coming from? How much 'greener' is that source of electricity  than the gasoline?

I am going to research this issue further. Stay tuned.

Mention in Water Efficiency Magazine

An interview with Soma Bhadra was featured in the following article in the Water Efficiency Magazine.

Purple Colored Conservation

Australia and Singapore - How are they dealing with water problems?

Enclosed below is a presentation by Proteus at the Council of Water Managers on October 19th, 2010 at their Dinner Meeting.

Over the last couple years, I have been fortunate to be living in Australia while designing and building one of the largest recycled water plants in the world. During my stay in Australia, I was also managing a design team out of Singapore which required me to make frequent trips to Singapore. Thus I was able to observe the water management policies and programs in these two countries. By bringing these ideas to you, my aim is to promote a healthy discussion on opportunities here in San Diego County.

20 by 2020 Water Conservation Plan

This morning California released the final 20x2020 Water Conservation Plan.  In February 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger directed state agencies to develop a plan to reduce statewide per capita water use by twenty percent by 2020. This Plan is the culmination of two long years of negotiations and planning.

California's water is limited and putting politics aside, we desperately need to manage this finite resource. Aggressive conservation is one small step in that direction. This plan aims at reducing the per capita use from 192 gallons per capita per day to 154 gallons per capita per day, which in my opinion is a decent start, considering the state of water consumption in the US and the world.

Through Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, San Diego County imports up to 90% of it's water from the Colorado River and Northern California (see figure below). The remaining 10% is pooled together from local water sources like groundwater, surface water, recycled water, seawater desalination and conservation.

 

Courtesy: Marsi Steirer, San Diego Public Utilities Department

While conservation is key to sustainable water management, it cannot be the ultimate answer. The key is having a varied portfolio of sustainable supply choices, including the use of greywater and recycled water.

What is your Water Footprint?

Carbon footprint is a major topic of discussion these days and every one seems to have an opinion on it, one way or the other. While that debate goes on, I would like to introduce you to the concept of Water Footprint. Have you thought about it?

Several items play into creating our Water Footprint: the water that is consumed by us, the water that is used to create and dispose the products we use, and the global trade of these products. The total Water Footprint can be broken down into three major components: the blue, the green, and the grey. Blue water footprint is the volume of freshwater used up from the global water resources to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community. For example, the use of water to irrigate crops. Green water footprint is the volume of water used up from the global green water resources such as the rainwater stored in the soil as soil moisture. And, grey water footprint is the volume of  wastewater generated from goods and services used and is calculated as the volume of water required to dilute the wastewater to attain a quality better than or equal to international water quality standards. The graphic below shows your total water footprint.

-->

Source: Hoekstra,  A.Y. (2008) Water neutral: reducing and offsetting the impacts of water footprints, Value of Water Research Report Series No.28, UNESCO-IHE.

Historically, we have been aware of only the little box on the left named "water withdrawal" because that is what we see as the gallons of water consumed on our water bills. But we fail comprehend the amount of water we consume on a daily basis via the products and services we use.


Here is your water cost for common items used daily:
A cotton shirt = 2,700 litres (713 gallons)
A cup of coffee = 140 liters (37 gallons)
100 gms (~3.5oz) of chocolate = 2,400 liters (634 gallons)
1 kg (~1/2 lb) sugar = 1,500 liters (396 gallons)
1 kg (~1/2 lb) tomatoes = 180 liters (48 gallons)
1 glass of wine = 120 liters (32 gallons)
1 hamburger = 2,400 liters (634 gallons)
1 kg leather (as in shoes, bags, etc) = 16,600 liters (4,385 gallons)
1 sheet of A4 paper = 10 liters (2.7 gallons)

And yes, the 'green fuels' like bio-ethanol and bio-diesel have water footprints too. This footprint does not get incorporated into the case for "green" energy, but they should!! See the figure below.

-->

Source: Gerbens-Leenes, W., Hoekstra, A.Y. and Van der Meer, T.H. (2009) The water footprint of bio-energy, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS Early Edition, doi:10.1073/pnas.0812619106.

Next, there is a global perspective to water footprint since global trade influences the water footprint to a great extent. Consumption of goods in one place has significant impact on the water resources in another place – and that is nothing new.


Here is a comparison of the countries with their water footprints – no surprises, really!

-->

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

I am not against global trade, but buying local would be a good practice. It's hard, I know!
I don’t want you to get all guilty and stop drinking water and eating, but being conscious of your impact in this world is a good thing to be aware of. You can buy your way out of your carbon footprint and feel all giddy about it, but the only way to offset you water footprint is to be aware of the choices you make.

To the "Green Community", I urge you to start including water footprint in your calculation. A design / plan can only be truly sustainable if "WATER" is considered along with energy.

To all you tech savvy people out there who care about your water footprint, there is an iPhone App for you!!

Credit: Thoughts and information presented in this blog is from http://www.waterfootprint.org/ It is an amazing website with loads of information. I urge you all to visit this website and learn more about Water Footprint.

Desalination - US vs. Australia

It is interesting to note that over the last six years, Australia has been able to permit, design, and start construction on six major seawater desalination projects, and three of those plants are already in operation. That is amazing! On the other hand, desalination plants in the US tend to get embroiled in loads of problems, and California's first, the Carlsbad Desalination Plant, is yet to be constructed. It took ten years of planning and five years in the state’s permitting process to receive final approvals from every required regulatory and permitting agency in the state, including the California Coastal Commission, State Lands Commission and Regional Water Quality Control Board. After all that, every other week we still see lawsuits raised for one issue or the other, only to be struck down by the courts.

This makes one wonder - why is it such an issue in California and not so in Australia? Just like the Australians, Californians live on the coast and have very similar meteorological, environmental, and economic issues. (Oh yes, I know, I lived in Oz for couple years and have recently returned.) So what is going on?

The answer is in three parts:

One, California has not faced as severe a water shortage as Australia. Southern Californians can get water imported (transported) from the mountains at relatively cheap and subsidized rates; whereas, in Australia, when the reservoir levels dropped down below 21% in March 2007, it was a major crisis and projects got done.

Two, though California and Australia face similar environmental issues, the permitting process in California seems to be haphazard and irregular. There are several agencies regulating various aspects of the environmental regime and often there is no dialogue or synergy between the agencies, leading to excessive delays in the permitting process. Each issue is reviewed and judged by different agencies at different times! There is a desperate need of one supervisory authority that coordinates all the reviews.

Credit: WDR, Vol 46, No. 8

Three, project economics vary between the two regions. Projects in Australia are led by the centrally planned regional water authorities who spread the cost of the project over the entire service area. Here in California, the model adopted was of a developer led project, whereby the developer was guaranteeing the cost of desalted water would never exceed the cost of imported water. This later model gave a different dimension to the project and led to mistrust, suspicion, and even animosity against the 'private' approach and raised cries of 'lack of transparency' and complaints of 'aggressive behavior'. The general trend is that the public believes in the 'non-profit' nature of public agencies (even if they are sometimes fraught with inefficiencies) and tend to disapprove of developers.

So, where are we now with Carlsbad Desal Project? The project just broke ground on some initial sitework. Unfortunately, the lawsuits are still coming, check here for latest development on this project.

Also check out some interesting presentations on desalination at the 2010 Water Reuse Conference. My friend Joe Monaco and I will be presenting on Tuesday, March 9 at 2PM (Session C5).

Acknowledgment: Thoughts presented in this blog also appears in the Water Desalination Repot Vol 46, No 8, edited by Tom Pankratz, and is repeated here with the editor's permission.