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Summar Water conservation has become a key part of California's overall water management strategy for allocating an increasingly scarce resource among a steadily growing population. Many water conserva- tion measures that began as emergency responses to drought episodes have become institutionalized in state law and regulations. Inefficient plumbing fixtures gradually are being replaced across the state in new construction and retrofit programs by ultra-low. flush toilets and low- flow showerheads mandated by state and federal laws. Urban water suppliers are implementing BMPs. albeit slowly, and irrigation districts that serve agricultural water users have begun to adopt EWMPs. Both are expected to have long-term benefits and could help close the gap between supply and demand. One measure of how far conservation has come is its integral role in the CALFED Bay-Della process. Along with building new facilities, conservation is one of the core strategies for possibly resolving the decades-old Bay-Delta struggle. Momentum for water conservation built during the last two drought cycles, but it is hard to maintain that momentum when water supplies return to #" i:~;~~;~ ". ,,:~....,,'~ normal. Legislation and regulatory initiatives helped institutionalize many conservation measures and programs, such as water efficient plumbing fixtures and drip irrigation systems. Water conserving features are now built into new homes and commercial buildings, and through BMPs and EWMPs will become part of the operational practices of water suppliers. Some observers fear that the institutionalization of water conservation may lead to "demand harden- ing," making it more difficult and expensive to achieve additional water savings in future droughts. However, DWR experts say improved planning and manage- ment practices still are needed to anticipate and handle water shortages better. Conservation also has become an integral part of planning for water needs on both the statewide and local fronts. State legislation enacted in 1995 (SB 901) requires increased consultation between water suppliers and local planners on development projects to ensure water supplies will be adequate. Local water districts increasingly are looking at water ~ ~~~-~<, ...... 'i1>""~.ftJ:i:,~ ....,~.~. .. . - .. ,,- i~~~~ .... : ;~~,"":-:l':,:~:.;C ~LMf~5~~:'~~,,';!I: -. :-.j.... . "_." oil C '-.,...~:'.11'.w:<:, ~...,."- ....-t-., -- _.'-'".;';';'~"':';"r::::,~J\~-:'~1:_I_.~."1;:'~'.;~',. . ~ r" "e,'