BOARD01670

• Board Meeting Date: 7/28/2003
• Description: CDP Section - Technical Assistance to Covered Entities
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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This supplement to the Strategy for Providing Technical Assistance to Covered Entities [1]
defines the term "water conservation," discusses the role of water conservation in water supply
planning, highlights the need for changes to state policies, and sets out a range of potential policy
changes for further consideration.

WHAT IS WATER CONSERVATION?

Historically in Colorado and other western states, the term "water conservation" was
synonymous with water development; for instance, construction of reservoirs to capture water
for use in-state. Today, water conservation has a different meaning to most water managers and
the public. In its broadest sense, water conservation now encompasses any action that stretches
already developed water supplies, and can include any of the following notions:

. Water use efficiency-providing the same or better level of end-use service, e.g., toilet-
flushing or showering, with less water;

. Wise water use-"water-conserving behaviors" such as not letting the water run while
shaving or brushing one's teeth, and "water-wise choices" such as installing low-water-use
plants or xeric landscaping instead of conventional turf;

. System efficiency-improvements to a water supply and distribution system, such as
operational changes or distribution system leak repairs that reduce water losses;

. Substitution of alternative supplies-for instance, using reclaimed wastewater;

. Curtailment-where certain uses are foregone or reduced, e.g., prohibitions on lawn watering
or car washing during a drought water emergency.

In the context of the Strategy, water conservation will be used broadly to mean any of the first
four notions-water use efficiency, wise water use, system efficiency, and supply substitution-
but not curtailment. While many people refer to water use restrictions during a drought as "water
conservation," the objective of long-term water conservation planning is not to curtail water use.
Rather it is to increase the productivity of water supply and use in order to satisfy water needs
without compromising desired water services. A drought response plan that includes curtailment
of water services may be part of a water conservation plan, but curtailment is not a desired long-
term result of a conservation plan.

THE ROLE OF WATER CONSERVATION

Water conservation is not an end in itself. Key organizations such as the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the American Water Works Association all
place water conservation in the context of overall water management, as do leading experts in the
water conservation field. Conservation can assist a water system in meeting its obligations to
supply adequate, reliable water to its customers while minimizing costs and protecting the
environment. Water conservation can help a water supplier and the community it serves to:

. Reduce or in some instances avoid the need to develop or acquire new water supplies;

. Defer, downsize, or avoid altogether the need for new water treatment or wastewater
treatment infrastructure;

. Reduce operating costs, such as treatment chemicals and pumping energy;

. Improve supply reliability/margin and mitigate impacts of future droughts;

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