The Importance of Water Conservation: Study Shows Amount Saved Would Equal That Captured By 16 Proposed Reservoirs

By Gabe Semenza, Victoria Advocate, Texas

Apr. 18–Study findings released Monday by the National Wildlife Federation purport to show that “reasonable” municipal water conservation would save Texas as much water as the state would capture through 16 proposed reservoirs detailed in the 2007 State Water Plan. But a Victoria man said that if these reservoirs aren’t built, areas such as Dallas-Fort Worth — a metropolitan similar to San Antonio in that it needs alternative water supplies to supply a growing population — will look south to near here where aquifers are deep and healthy.

The study, “Save Water, Save Rivers, Save Money: The Potential of Municipal Water Conservation in Texas,” claims that if municipalities implemented water-efficient toilets and low-flow showerheads, restricted lawn watering and educated the public, they would save the state more than 1 million acre-feet of water per year — or about the amount the 16 proposed reservoirs are estimated to capture.

Just 1 acre-foot of water is roughly 326,000 gallons.

Dr. Norman Johns, a water resources scientist with the National Wildlife Federation and the report’s lead researcher, said, “Water conservation is the common-sense solution our cities are looking for. It would be far better to make efficient use of the water that is right under our nose than to spend billions of dollars damming rivers and drowning valuable wildlife habitat.”

The state’s water plan, however, notes that maintaining reservoirs, and identifying new and viable sites for them, is “key to effective long-term water supply management and planning in Texas,” a state that has 196 reservoirs that hold more than half Texas’ available surface water.

Reservoirs, the state’s water plan adds, are crucial to providing water for industry, agriculture and municipalities, especially in a state that has variable streamflow. Reservoirs can also capture and store floodwaters for use during drought.

Victoria’s Bill Richter, a citizen water activist, said that without these proposed reservoirs, areas such as Dallas-Fort Worth would “dip farther south for groundwater,” making it “a Victoria issue.”

Jerry James, the City of Victoria’s director of environmental services, said that water conservation is the most cost-effective way to extend a city’s water-supply capacity, and that it should be central to a city’s water planning.

But, he added, “The State of Texas has recognized that balance, as well, in the (2007) State Water Plan.”

Recent studies on global warming, meanwhile, predict Texas will frequently experience future severe droughts.

“Using water efficiently makes sense today and it will make even more sense in a hotter, drier Texas,” said Johns, the report’s lead researcher. “Dams don’t make new water. They only capture what nature provides. With decreased rainfall and increased evaporation, the proposed new reservoirs will yield less than currently estimated.”

To review the report, visit www.TexasWaterMatters.org. Gabe Semenza is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6519 or gsemenza@vicad.com, or comment on this story here.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Victoria Advocate, Texas

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