Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
SMARTER SUSTAINABLE DUBUQUE WATER PILOT STUDY
SMARTER SUSTAINABLE DUBUQUE WATER PILOT STUDY. Described as a template for communities worldwide seeking to conserve resources, IBM released the results of its pilot study in Dubuque on May 20, 2011. IBM provided technology for 151 households to analyze water use and compare it with similar households. The study group reduced water consumption 6.6% more than the control group of 152 homes, and 10.1% more than the community as a whole.
David J. LYONS, the project manager, remarked that advanced technology by itself did not accomplish much until it was connected to the individuals who could see the benefit to them and could customize it to their needs. The study group responded to potential leaks eight times more often than the control with half feeling the information helped them conserve water.
Lyons reported that the next step was to implement the technology in several thousand Dubuque households to provide the city council and citizens with a better idea of what residents wanted and would use.
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Source:
Piper, Andy, "Water Study Helps Slow Flow," Telegraph Herald, May 21, 2011, p. 1