Region C's Water Conservation Implementation Task Force suggests a voluntary goal of 140 gallons per capita daily (gpcd) as a threshold for conservation measures in the 2016 Region C Water Plan. According to 2012 Water for Texas State Water Plan, Region C will be responsible for 44 percent of the recommended municipal water conservation in the state by 2060. The Region C Water Planning Group continues to place strong emphasis on water conservation and reuse as a means of meeting projected water demands in the region.
The Water Conservation Package is recommended for implementation by each municipal water user group in the region. The Water Conservation Package includes:
- Low flow plumbing fixture rules (required by state and federal law),
- Efficient new residential clothes washer standards,
- Efficient new residential dishwasher standards (new in 2016 Initially Prepared Region C Water Plan)
- Enhanced public and school education,
- Price elasticity/rate structure impacts,
- Enhanced water loss control program,
- Time-of-day irrigation restriction, and
- Water waste prohibition.
The 2016 Region C Plan recommends significant conservation efforts and the development of substantial new supplies from reuse. The above chart is described below:
- With no conservation or reuse at all, the projected dry-year per capita municipal water use in Region C is 177 gpcd in 2070.
- Implementation of the plumbing code requiring the use of low flow plumbing fixtures is expected to reduce the 2070 per capita municipal use by a total of about 16 gpcd, to 161 gpcd.
- The recommended water conservation measures in the 2016 Region C Water Plan will reduce the projected 2070 per capita municipal use by an additional 8 gpcd, to 153 gpcd.
- The existing and recommended municipal water reuse projects will reduce the projected per capita municipal water use well under the suggested voluntary goal of 140 gpcd in each decade. These projects will reduce the 2070 per capita municipal use by an additional 48 gpcd, to 105 gpcd.
- The projected normal year per capita use is 10-15 percent lower than dry-year use and is also well under the suggested voluntary goal of 140 gpcd.
- Many of the recommended reuse projects in this plan are proposed for implementation by 2020, leading to a rapid reduction in per capita use in Region C after crediting for reuse.