On a recent trip to Austin I heard a radio station advertise a water conservation package from the city worth $2,000 as one of the prizes in a contest. I decided to google Austin's waster conservation efforts when I got home and discovered that they have one of the best programs in the country.
Austin's water conservation division has a task force that developed a wide range of plans to reduce water consumption, including rebates for efficient fixtures and appliances, rainwater harvesting, public education programs, and irrigation system upgrades.
I cringe whenever I hear people refer to water conservation measures as limits on washing cars and watering lawns. Besides the fact that it vastly oversimplifies conservation efforts to talk about it in merely those terms, shiny cars and green lawns are vanities to which many people are particularly attached.
To get an idea of some other measures, you can read the initial report of the water committee and their most recent recommendations, which also provide a cost analysis showing that water conservation is more cost effective than building new water facilities.
Talk of building a new dam when Springfield has yet to make anything resembling the conservation efforts of Austin is short sighted and fiscally irresponsible. Why should we be subjected to a 75% increase in water rates when we can meet our needs for the future in a way that will save ratepayers money on our bill?
A local group called Citizens for Sensible Water Use is holding a program on the proposed Hunter Lake Dam on October 8, 7:00 p.m. in Lincoln Library’s Carnegie Room.
I saw an earlier version of their program at a Sierra Club meeting several months ago. I was amazed by what I learned about the long history of the proposal and what we'll lose if its completed. Anyone who wants to be truly informed about this issue owes it to themselves to attend the presentation this Monday. It moves the debate far beyond empty slogans about "growth" and "progress."