New report shifts water focus to conservation, not reservoirs

by Andrew Scoggin

With Texas reeling from drought in two consecutive summers, an environmental research group says the state should focus on saving to secure the state’s water supply. And by saving, it’s not just taking shorter showers.

A report released by Environment Texas Research and Policy Center last week says the state should make significant investments in water conservation greater, the group says, than those planned by a state board and being discussed in the state legislature.

Texas could save 500 billion gallons of water by 2020 if state officials adhere to policy recommendations made by the group, according to the report. That includes financial incentives, education and, above all, eschewing new reservoirs in favor of conservation efforts....

Andrew Quicksall, an engineering professor at SMU, called the report “truly outstanding” and said its research methodology was legitimate....