Thursday, December 31, 1998

Thursday, December 31, 1998

Water, water everywhere --if we’re smart

Gov. George W. Bush is urging all Texans to resolve in 1999 to be "water smart" and practice common sense measures to conserve water by using it more efficiently. Toward that end, Bush has proclaimed Jan. 1 as "Water Smart Challenge Day."

Recent droughts prove water is "a precious natural resource that no longer can be taken for granted," Bush points out in an official proclamation. And "although Texans cannot alter the weather or its cycles, we can change our own behaviors and how we respond to drought and dry conditions, both for our personal economic well-being and for the benefit of future generations.

"Each cup of water we consume," the governor says, "carries a price tag that goes far beyond the water bill we receive in the mail. The public costs of building additional infrastructure to treat and distribute drinking water are considerable. The cheapest water available to Texans is the water we already have. We can stretch supplies of drinking water considerably by developing good habits and using water more efficiently."

Efficient water use is the goal of Water Smart, a concerted public education campaign to encourage Texans to "save the water," using information and communication tools developed by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission and the Texas Water Development Board. The campaign so far has targeted areas of the state where utilities experienced excessive demands during the drought of 1998, threatening their abilities to provide basic levels of services or guarantee fire-fighting capabilities.

Easy tips

Most of the tips are easy to implement and quickly produce savings in both water and money:

-- Turn it off when not in use. In 15 minutes, a continuously running hose can dispense up to 75 gallons of water.

-- Fix those inside leaks. A slow drip on a kitchen or bathroom faucet can waste 15 to 20 gallons of water a day, a leaky toilet as much as 100 gallons of water per day.

-- Put water where it’s needed. Sprinklers that mist or throw out small droplets can lose to evaporation as much as 50 percent of the water they emit. Use drip irrigation or hand watering to get your money’s worth.

-- Water only when necessary. Frequent lawn watering encourages shallow root growth. Most Texas lawns will stay healthy with a thorough weekly watering of 1.5 inches.

Being "water smart" will lower your bills and help ensure a plentiful water supply for all Texans in coming years, no matter how dry they might turn out to be. Although autumn rains refilled badly depleted underground aquifers and surface water reservoirs, forecasters say Texas is likely once again to endure a prolonged period of dry weather in the spring and summer of 1999. We could do without repeating the experiences of the drought of ’98.

For more information, contact Linda Fernandez, Water Smart coordinator, 512-797-3792; Tom Kelly, TNRCC Media Relations, 512-239-0046; or John Sutton, TWDB Conservation Section, 512-463-7988.