Water conservation is something we do not always think about in that a drip here and a drip there does not seem like much, but in a city that can add up to potentially millions of gallons annually. In urban areas where the water comes from a water treatment plant, that means more water coming from the source and having to be treated. If that comes from a well, that means the pumps have to work harder and longer to supply the needed water. In either case, conserving the water saves both the source and the equipment needed to treat and pump that water. Sometimes it is hard to think about conserving water in times like we are in currently where we are getting a good amount of rain and the surface water sources are mostly full. We really start thinking about water conservation when the rain does not come and when the surface water sources are starting to drop. I would suggest we think about water conservation while we have the surface sources full and the rain is coming so when the rain stops and the surface sources start dropping we are prepared.

In the March 2022 issue of the magazine Municipal Sewer and Water, there is an article about the water conservation efforts in Citrus County Florida titled Conservation Specialist. In the article they talk about how Citrus County is surrounded by water, but the water conservations are highly needed and sometimes persuading homeowners is the hardest part of the job. They also do some fun activities school age children where they hold the annual Fix-A-Leak week where they ask kids to go home and see if their toilets are running between flushes. With this they discuss how just a little water in one toilet can add up to a lot of water if many toilets are running. They also work with homeowners on repairing irrigation systems. All of this in an effort to save water so it will be available in the future.

Here at the University of Georgia, we have many different programs related to water conservation. This website provides a lot of information and links as well as the work being done through the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture.