Water Wise

I recently attended a conference where the speaker was talking about water in Texas. There were a couple of interesting things he mentioned that I found of particular interest. First, Texas has a very diverse water profile. In the east part of the state, annual rainfall is an average of 55" per year, while in the west the total is only 10. The presenter noted that this is about an inch of rain lost per 17 miles west you travel. The second point was that the number of inches lost per year to evaporation also widely varies. In the east, it is only at 45", while in the west it was closer to 100" lost per year. Thus, it makes more sense to build a reservoir in the east, where rainfall actually is greater than the amount evaporated in a year. But this is not where the water is needed. The need for water is most dire in places out west. It is true that a reservoir is not just filled with rainwater, but is strategically placed to gather water from several streams/sources to maximize the benefit and impact.

I am from an area of the world that is every bit as dry as the west part of Texas. When my ancestors arrived in the Great Basin, they immediately began diverting streams and spreading the water out across vast acres, bringing life to an extremely harsh environment. The oasis they created in the desert now supports two million people. It may be (appropriately) argued that the lifestyles they brought with them from their ancestral homes of Scotland and England and northern Europe may be unsustainable. But what they did to the environment they found, creating a place where people could live and thrive, is nothing short of miraculous.

Other areas of the west used (and continue to utilize) more dramatic and harmful techniques to get the water they need. Cities from Los Angeles to Las Vegas have begged, borrowed, and stolen water from regions near and far. All of the water that exists in the west has been spoken for and legal rights to the water are more precious than gold.

But what does this have to do with our little City? Don't we have plenty of water?

We do. We are blessed with an abundance of good, clean water. Our water sources in the City come from several wells located around the City. It is treated per government regulations and tested regularly to ensure quality. We have enough water for almost all anticipated growth our community may face. Further, our water rates are much less expensive than neighboring communities, meaning that we can use what we like/need for our domestic and commercial water needs without being overly burdened financially.

But that doesn't mean we should waste it. Our water is recharged through percolation and aquifer recharge. There is a careful balance between the amount of water that enters the ground and that which is removed. If the balance tips in one direction, the water will become depleted very rapidly. Our water is precious. The surface water in the area is largely spoken for - it heads mostly to Houston. As areas to the west become more thirsty, it may be that we end up selling some of our excess to help places like Austin and San Antonio stay hydrated. Again, this is OK, provided we are wise about how we shepherd our resources. Being a good steward of our water resource means little things like turning off the faucet while you shave or brush your teeth. Like watering gardens and turf areas at night. Like washing your car on the grass, where it can go back into the soil, rather than out into the bay. There are a host of little things that can be done. The following are a couple of interesting websites that will help if you have questions, both about the current drought and it's severity, and about what the State is doing to plan for the future.

http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2012/02/01/five-ways-to-find-water-for-a-thirsty-texas/

http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/drought/

Because, really, the future starts now.