1 / 23

Urban Water Resources – Programming Areas

Urban Water Resources – Programming Areas. Bruce Lesikar Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Presentation Overview. Water - do we have extra? How can we make a difference? How to address the water issue? Our programs What to do?. Do We Have Unused Water?. No!!!

opal
Download Presentation

Urban Water Resources – Programming Areas

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Urban Water Resources – Programming Areas Bruce Lesikar Texas AgriLife Extension Service

  2. Presentation Overview Water - do we have extra? How can we make a difference? How to address the water issue? Our programs What to do?

  3. Do We Have Unused Water? No!!! Water Conservation – Management of our water resources, efficient use, water quality protection

  4. Hydrologic Cycle

  5. Development Changes Local Hydrology • How we manage development defines the available water sources

  6. How Do You Foster Change? • Provide general knowledge • Build capacity in practitioners • Remove barriers: political, financial, regulations, codes, ordinances • Provide encouragement • Positive • Incentives • Free stuff • Negative • Pricing • Fines • Environmental regulations

  7. Water Supply & Demand Surface water Groundwater Mineralized Groundwater Gulf of Mexico Alternative supplies Harvested Rainwater Condensate Graywater Wastewater reuse Drivers Economics Public & political will Energy & water nexus Perception In-home water use: drinking, washing, toilet, & laundry Landscaping: home & business Green space: athletic fields, parks & golf courses Pets & Wildlife Horticulture Animal production Crop, Forest, Range, Forage production Irrigation field crops Commercial businesses: everything needs water – place to work Streams & wetlands Lakes: water supply, recreation & habitat Water features Swimming pools

  8. What is desirable? What is feasible? How to change? Public acceptance New knowledge Technology Build capacity Attitude – Tradition Modify infrastructure Reuse treated wastewater Interbasin water transfer Build new reservoirs Require efficient ag. Irrigation Require industrial water reuse Purchase and lease water rights Aquifer storage and recovery Residential rainwater harvesting Water saving landscape ordinances Require water efficient appliances Require ag irrig. water scheduling Residential graywater use Plant drought tolerant crops Drill new wells Preference and Feasibility – Region C No low flow fixtures

  9. Addressing Water Issues Water literacy – understand water issues Earthkind plants - efficient use Earthkind landscapes Efficient irrigation systems – Irrigation practitioners Management of Irrigation systems Turf grass management – SAFE, golf courses Stormwater management Stream processes Stream restoration Youth knowledge Plant diseases & water Entomology & water Watershed protection plans – fertilization, livestock production, waste management Onsite wastewater treatment and reuse Graywater systems In-home conservation In-home reuse & non-potable toilet flushing Rainwater harvesting Land management for efficient water use Mineralized water treatment - desalinization Our programs

  10. What can we make a difference? • Everyone involved!!!! • All audiences need some water literacy • Who will be faced with the really tough decisions?????

  11. Water Literacy • How can we help people make informed decisions about water conservation? • Need a working understanding of relationship between supply, storage and demand!!!!!! • What is a good approach to helping people gain a functional knowledge of these factors???? Rainwater Harvesting

  12. Rainwater Harvesting • Calculate available supply based on rainfall & roof area • Decide on the size of reservoir • Decide on the water demand • Drinking / Indoor • Landscape • Wildlife • Animals

  13. City Water Conservation Programs • Leak Detection—city lines • Residential Water Audits • Landscape Requirements • Plumbing & Appliance Retrofits/Rebates • Education Programs • Differential Pricing [i.e. more use=more $$$] • Fugitive Water [i.e. h2o running down streets] • Reuse/Reclaimed Water

  14. Wastewater Reuse - Graywater • Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems • Graywater law HB2661 -2003 • Septic Regulations – January 2005 • Separate blackwater and graywater and use graywater for landscape • Landscape irrigation

  15. Separate graywater and blackwater collection and treatment systems.

  16. Irrigation Practitioner Training http://irrigation.tamu.edu

  17. Groundwater Management through Conservation Districts State’s preferred method for Groundwater Management Locally elected Board of Directors Local decisions on how to manage groundwater Difficult to actually decrease or limit groundwater use

  18. Groundwater Conservation Districts Creation Process - Overview Action of the Legislature Landowner Petition Initiated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Adding Territory to an Existing District

  19. New GCD Once a designation is made the clock starts…….. County courts are notified to begin action Temporary board of directors Election schedule Texas AgriLife Extension Service is notified to begin educational programs Texas AgriLife Extension Service

  20. North Central Texas PGMA 13 County PGMA Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson Hood, Johnson, Montague, Parker, Tarrant, Wise District formed: Hood Parker, Wise Montague, Tarrant

  21. Central Texas PGMA Five county PGMA Bosque, Coryell, Hill, McLennon, Somervell Established October 28, 2008

  22. Summary Water - do we have extra? How can we make a difference? How to address the water issue? Our programs What to do work? Current infrastructure

More Related