Water conservation is fast becoming a survival issue!

It's high time we practice water conservation and devise ways of collecting and storing what water we have. Why? Climate assures us of the rainfall we need for our water needs, but our climate is changing. Climate is not as reliable as we tend to think, and sometimes that rainy season we grew used to suddenly disappears. Drought can last for years, and sometimes, the climate changes so radically that those years become decades. When the water dries up, the population that depended on it must move on, but we tend to fight for our homes, towns, and cities; we'll hang in there for as long as we can -- we're the species that hopes. When we're in a drought, the water we do have becomes precious.

Conserving water is no easy task for a people used to abundant water. In the United States, each person uses about 100 gallons of water a day! In other countries with dry climates, the use is much less, as you would expect. For example, people in Africa use far less water than the average American, 'recycling' it in an efficient manner. Water used for washing clothes, is used again, for plants, or to wash barns and stables. So, how might we in the U.S. apply this concept of water conservation?

We could easily drain our washing machine water into containers, using that water to flush our toilets. We might take fewer showers, or take a bath and use that water to flush our toilets. Serial coffee drinkers could refrain from washing coffee cups between each fill-up. Bathing water might be used to water plants. We can fix our dripping faucets. Instead of letting water sluice off your roof, into the drain and down the gutter, collect that water in barrels and use it for cleaning your car, watering your plants, or anything that doesn't require hot water -- we need to conserve energy as well. Observing these few inconveniences can reduce water use by 20% a day! Some people have even brought down their consumption to 10 gallons a day. Remember, water conservation starts with the individual.

When a drought hits, a community or state will immediately impose water use limitations, such as prohibiting lawn watering or washing your car. These are certainly water conservation techniques that work, but other techniques that have not been widely used can have a significant impact on water consumption. These include water price control, water use education to teach the individual how to conserve, and infrastructure planning that looks ahead and accounts for those years when rains may be sparse. Gravity-driven plumbing, water capture planning, water disinfection and recycling, water distribution, and incentives to farmers and businesses that plan and build their facilities for water conservation are just some of the techniques that have scarcely been explored.

The biggest user of water is agriculture, accounting for approximately 70% of water consumption by humans. Agricultural businesses may employ such techniques as controlled water sprinkling rather than flooding, tank storage of water and irrigation from storage, conserving not only water, but the energy that pumped water requires. High technology provides devices that sense soil moisture and control water flow as needed. These expensive techniques can be promoted through government incentives.

Water conservation is something city planners must include in the design of their cities. Their aim, and the aim for all of us, should be to keep our cities and towns sustainable for generations to come. For some, it's too late, and they'll have to move on. For the rest, water conservation is a must. Conserve your water, even when it seems abundant. You can never tell when the rains will be too light to keep your life sustainable!