When a drought hits, which water system best survives the
crisis: the system that relies on short-term restrictions or the one
that has planned ahead and instituted conservation measures
before the drought's onset?
This article looks at the various factors that complicate the
relationship between water conservation and drought. These include
baseline water-use patterns, system growth rates, water supplies
and water rights, storage capacity, and the nature of the drought
itself. A mathematical model was used to simulate a 25-year history
for a "typical" water system serving an average community of residential
customers. Total annual household use was calculated, as
well as annual average indoor use and outdoor use. The model also
assigned a system supply level and storage capacity.
In the ninth year of its "history," the community experiences
the onset of what eventually becomes a long-term drought. The
model generates two scenarios in response to this event. In the
first, the water provider is unprepared for the drought and relies
on restrictions to make up for dwindling supplies. In the second,
system managers begin adopting conservation measures in the
first year of the community's history and continue implementing
them gradually. By the time the drought hits, water use has been
reduced sufficiently enough that the system is able to successfully
weather the crisis.
In most cases, a long-range water conservation and efficiency
program will outperform water rationing and restrictions as a
response to drought. Includes table, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. 98 - No. 2 |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 260 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 8 |
| Published : | 02/01/2006 |
