Water management and why it’s becoming an FM priority

Energy and carbon have dominated environmental conversations within facilities management for years. Water deserves an increasingly prominent place alongside them.

Periods of drought and water scarcity create an obvious reason to focus on consumption, but effective water management extends much further.

From underground pipework and washrooms to irrigation, external cleaning and drainage, water moves through almost every commercial estate. Understanding how it is used, where it may be wasted and how effectively it is managed is becoming an important part of responsible facilities management.

Finding avoidable water loss

One of the first priorities is understanding consumption.

Unexpected increases can indicate leaks or inefficient systems that may otherwise remain unnoticed. External pipework and underground infrastructure can be particularly difficult to monitor, while ground movement during prolonged dry conditions can place additional pressure on infrastructure.

Regular inspection, meter monitoring and prompt investigation of unusual consumption can help facilities teams identify issues sooner. Inside buildings, routine maintenance and repairs to taps, toilets and other water-consuming fixtures can identify and resolve further sources of unnecessary water use.

Looking beyond the building

For sites with substantial external environments, landscaping can represent another significant area of water demand.

Irrigation should be targeted, controlled and regularly maintained. Watering schedules can be adjusted to reduce evaporation, while moisture monitoring and smart controls can prevent irrigation when it is unnecessary.

Landscape design has an equally important role. Improving soils, selecting appropriate plants and designing schemes around site conditions can reduce the amount of supplementary water required in the first place.

As planting schemes are renewed or landscapes improved, facilities managers have an opportunity to introduce more resilient planting and reduce future reliance on intensive irrigation.

External cleaning regimes can also be reviewed during periods of water scarcity, prioritising activities necessary for safety and operational standards while considering whether non-essential water use can temporarily be reduced.

Managing water when it arrives

Water management is not solely about using less. Commercial estates must also manage periods when large volumes of rainfall arrive quickly.

Drainage systems, gullies, channels, attenuation features and sustainable drainage systems all need appropriate inspection and maintenance to remain effective.

This creates an important connection between water conservation and surface water management. The same estate may need to prepare for prolonged periods with very little rainfall and sudden periods with too much.

For FM teams, understanding both sides of that challenge is increasingly important.

Making water part of everyday FM

The most resilient approach is to move water management away from being something considered only during drought or flooding.

Consumption monitoring, leak prevention, landscape management, drainage maintenance and future design can instead form part of normal estate planning.

That shift allows facilities managers to identify efficiencies, protect assets and reduce environmental impact before restrictions or extreme weather create an urgent problem.

Water may have historically received less attention than energy within FM strategies, but as pressure on resources grows, managing it intelligently will become an increasingly important measure of a well-managed estate.