Laserfiche WebLink
<br />About Water Conservation <br /> <br />Water is essential to life and civilization. The economic value of the resource <br />exceeds the historical costs that have been spent to provide water for municipal use. <br /> <br />Water conservation is not a matter of reducing water use without limit. Its purpose <br />is not to deprive our conmunity of the benefits for which water is diverted but to provide <br />those benefits as efficiently as practicable, given current knowledge, state of technology, <br />and prudent cost considerations. Water conservation is defined as eliminating waste and <br />making beneficial uses more efficient. <br /> <br />Water that remains in our streams and reservoirs also provides many benefits <br />which are important to our customers and our corrrnunity. Wlen water is used efficiently, <br />more water can remain for recreation, lll.etlands, dilution, natural aesthetics, and habitat <br />for fish and other wildlife. In addition, Green Mountain's available water supply would be <br />extended for the future and the cost of new storage and treatment facilities deferred. It <br />benefits everyone to conserve water. Extending supplies, protecting the environment and <br />saving money helps ensure our future water needs. <br /> <br />Water conservation, hO\/\lever, is not free and may not always be reasonable. <br />Wlen customers use less water, Green Mountain's costs do not decrease proportionally. <br />On the other hand, conservation defers the need for supply expansion, thereby deferring <br />- - - - - - --some-Water rate increaSes. -rn any case, since not everyone conserves atthe-same rate~ - . <br />those who conserve most will definitely save more money than those who do not. <br /> <br />Water conservation is an obligation of Green Mountain, and many programs <br />contained in this plan - leak detection, billing information, education programs - place <br />accountability on the water utility. Yet much of the potential savings mist come from the <br />actions and habits of our water customers. Water conservation is many small actions that <br />add up to a big difference. Conservation does not mean deprivation or preservation, <br />but rather it encompasses the voluntary choices people make about sustainable future <br />water. <br />