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Welcome!

Welcome!. Please read the board carefully! . Drought – the new normal?. 2011 – worst 12 month period of drought recorded in Texas history Agriculture - $5 billion lost Wildfires Reservoirs down to 60% of water storage levels

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Welcome!

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  1. Welcome! Please read the board carefully! 

  2. Drought – the new normal? • 2011 – worst 12 month period of drought recorded in Texas history • Agriculture - $5 billion lost • Wildfires • Reservoirs down to 60% of water storage levels • More than 900 of the state’s 4700 water supply systems had water restrictions • February 2014 – officially back in drought in Houston • -data from Lone Star Sierran Fall-Winter 2011

  3. 5 Ways to increase water availability • Build more dams – use more surface water • Use more groundwater - aquifers • Transfer water from other places • Desalinate water • Conserve water

  4. Dams

  5. How it works

  6. Use more groundwater

  7. Subsidence – sinking of land due to aquifer overdraft

  8. Baytown

  9. Desalination – get the salt out! • How it works – three systems • Reverse osmosis • Freezing salt water – ice will be fresh • Distillation – boiling, then trapping the fresh steam

  10. Reverse osmosis

  11. Reverse osmosis

  12. Distillation

  13. California Water Transfer project

  14. Conservation! Being smart with the water we already have.

  15. Conservation success • San Antonio – pumps no more water today than it did 20 years ago, despite the dramatic population increase in its service area in that same period of time! • Thanks to conservation! • San Antonio reduced its per capita use by more than 70 gallons.

  16. 65-70% of water used is wasted in evaporation, leaks and other losses

  17. Agriculture

  18. Pivot circles are very wasteful – only 40% of water reaches plant roots

  19. Saving water in agriculture

  20. Water sensors tell farmers when to irrigate

  21. Water sensor on plant!

  22. Drip irrigation

  23. What about recycling water? “Grey water”

  24. Industry and big buildings

  25. Even the Alamo uses grey water! • Grey water is being used more in: • Golf courses • Sweeping streets • Fighting fires • Parks • Amenity lakes

  26. Current Texas water reuse 2% • New technology cleans water to almost distilled quality • Eventually, 10% of water demand will come from reuse in Texas

  27. Tradeoffs! • Reuse will divert more water from rivers. • Less water downstream for people and wildlife • Before: • River  home  river • After: • River  home  land

  28. Saving water at home What can you do directly?

  29. Two sides to conservation • Equipment/Fixtures • Behaviors

  30. Water saving toilets

  31. Make your own!

  32. Aerating showers and faucets

  33. Watering the landscape

  34. Xeriscaping / water wise gardening

  35. Brainstorm! • What kind of behaviors in the home can conserve water?

  36. Check for understanding • Why is conservation considered the easiest way to increase the amount of water available for use? • What is the name of the wasteful agricultural irrigation system? • Name a way to save water in agriculture. • Name a way to save water at home. • How are YOU responsible for the amount of water used in industry? • What is grey water?

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