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<br />Wa:er Conservatior... Pa..:t of how mU.:licipa!i:ies can mee:.
<br />their needs ',,,.ill be "",,,"ter conserva:..ion - we will ,ha."'!ge :he
<br />ethic of water use in ::1unicipali:.:es to be more represenutive
<br />ofa scrniarid a!"ea. 'i.'hen people:.~ about wate: cor.se......a:.icn,
<br />wha: does that ::lean?
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<br />Below you see "..he act'..lal water demands on our water s!':p'
<br />ply system ill
<br />2002. You see a
<br />verytraditionaJ
<br />bell-shaped curve.
<br />You car. seethe
<br />demand coming
<br />on to our system
<br />aOO!:t Ap:ill. We
<br />found thaI people
<br />use the green-
<br />nessoftheirgrass
<br />asabaromeler,
<br />and that was the
<br />primaryc.eter-
<br />mina.'1tonho.....
<br />much additional
<br />water dema..'id we
<br />had coming onto
<br />oUrsySlem. We
<br />implemented a
<br />tiered price-rate
<br />S'J'Ucture, so as of
<br />July6wea::-
<br />ticipated that :.0 percent of our water would be sold at double
<br />the rate, a:ld 20 percent at triple the rate. We had people in
<br />the Cit)' of Aurora paying over $3000 per acre-ft. per )-'ea: fer
<br />the rig:-,I to w:!.ter their lawns. Actually, less waler was sold at
<br />'!.~e higher block rates as overall water demand was sold. The
<br />difference betv.'een the m'o lines represents water conservation.
<br />The e:fect "frate structures a.'ld outdoor water conservation
<br />resulled in mollt a 35 percent decrease :n waler delivered 10
<br />our custOr:ier5 from the kveJs delivered in 2000 and 2001. It
<br />is ver.: st.-tutul on a cornmu:lity, but it can be done for short
<br />periClds oft.;me. Waler conservation certainly dotS work along
<br />the Fror:tRmge.
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<br />Hew ",,-ill a!ditional water s'JppEes be developed? n n.e
<br />basic rre:nise here is that our population will grow; L~erefore,
<br />our need for additional urba.'l water sources .....ill also contir.ue
<br />togro....'.
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<br />We wiU see hycrologic additions cornir:g Earn OUI of :..!:Ie basin
<br />bv wa~' oi a:3.:tio;,:al trans-basin di\"Crsions. Some, a.'ld 1
<br />e~ph~ize r-me, exis::r:g agriculr..J:al r:ghl$ will t;.e transferrd
<br />ei:..:":e! Fe:-:r.a:-.e:r:iy or as :.nterrJFtibk supplies to city water
<br />s\'sterr.S, ad I :h,.;:.k one of ~e t!ti::gs :.~at you '",.ill bear from
<br />.~UJ"ora:s st:cr.'; acvoca.:y :-,:Ir c::y.farTI'. relationships :hal wi!!
<br />allow mere ;:-rJ.:er:.:. use ef..'iater 1:y bot3 grOl.:ps.
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<br />You'll see i:1creased progra.-nS for using recla...'nat:otl of sew-
<br />ag-e a.,,:::1 expa..''1Sio:1 of no:-.potable wa:'e~ syste:r-.s. Eventually,
<br />you .Nill see the r.rst pla.~.ned. indirect potable water systems.
<br />The ,echnolog;.- :s t.iere now, but we ha.,e !lot e..gaged in -..~e
<br />policy debate over the use of t:ea:ed effluer::. for drinking water
<br />pu,....poses.. Bl.:t I would expect it:.o move intO consideration as
<br />we cor-sider :.h,e alternatives of additional t--ans-basin di\'ersions
<br />a.'ldtrar:sfersofwa-
<br />terfrorn agricultural
<br />uses..
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<br />For those of you on
<br />m:micipal water sup-
<br />ply systems, you are
<br />go~g to pay Inore
<br />for it. This year, our
<br />customers will pay
<br />$3,300 per acre-ft.
<br />per year for the r:ght
<br />to water their lawns,
<br />This glaring differ-
<br />e:lce between values
<br />of water used for dif-
<br />ferentpu!"poseswill
<br />drive some ofthe
<br />hard decisions that
<br />\\ill have to be :naje
<br />as municipalities
<br />develop :heir future
<br />water sources.
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<br />I thougr.tl would try a.'ld find some interesting metaphors to
<br />....Tap up L~is presentation. because :here has to be some way
<br />to simplify this highly complex public-policy question we are
<br />\\Testlingwith,
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<br />I would characterize our current approaches as a bunch of
<br />starlir.gs flying around without any rhyr..e or reason.. There
<br />is a ra::domness and chaos:o the pattern. In contrast, I WQu~d
<br />pair.l the picture of a flock of geese flyi:Jg in formation. So
<br />one has been able:o explain to me hew these birds are able
<br />to cooperate in such ha:mony, and wher. U',e signal is give:'! to
<br />change their partern or direction, the entire flock works in sync.
<br />Sa:ure has a way of ma:ntaini11g a ha.'mor.y and oreer. and if
<br />',...e could ever find a way for our water policy to work with :hat
<br />kind of synchronicity, we would take a lot of the uncertainty
<br />out ofwa,er plar.ni:l& i!l the South Pla:te River basin.
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