Senator Shapiro calls for uniform water conservation standards for all of Texas
An op-ed respectfully submitted by State Senator Florence Shapiro
March, 2010

"Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink."

While this quote from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's legendary The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is delivered from the perspective of a sailor surrounded by salt water he cannot drink, and the work of Samuel Taylor Coleridge may appear to have nothing in common with the water situation in Texas, I am here to suggest otherwise. The fact is, despite Texas being a state with only one natural body of water, over the years, we've been able to meet our wide-ranging water needs through a number of manmade reservoirs. While this has worked reasonably well for decades, our booming population is revealing just how overburdened our water resources are becoming. In order to effectively meet our growing water needs, the creation of new reservoirs across the state must be developed in concert with a new system of conservation.

Texas is quickly entering an era where it should not be assumed that there will always be an endless supply of clean drinking water. What Texas needs is a new set of uniform conservation standards from Houston to El Paso, Dallas to San Antonio, and everywhere in between. Essentially, in order to meet all our water needs, we must develop an effective conservation model that sets forth specific, consistent, and standardized methodologies statewide.

Today, the most widely used measurement of water usage is gallons per capita per day. GPCD is a planning tool used to project the future water needs of each municipality. Currently, the measurements being used to determine GPCD are not standardized. However, in order for a true comparison of water use, and to measure our projected needs, these methods of calculation must be uniform.

Authorized by the Legislature in the 80th Session, the Study Commission on Region C Water Supply-- which I co-chair with Representative Stephen Frost (District 1)--recently met to discuss this very issue of water use and conservation. Dallas is traditionally portrayed as an over-user of water because its total residential and commercial GPCD is one of the highest in the state. San Antonio, on the other hand, is considered the most efficient water user. When we break down the GPCD, the numbers are much closer. The residential water use of the two cities is very similar: 92 gallons per person per day in Dallas and 86 gallons per person per day in San Antonio (1997 data, Texas Water Development Board).

The difference is in commercial water use, and there is a wide contrast in commercial development between Dallas and San Antonio. For example, Dallas has many more people working in the city, using water all day, and living in suburbs outside the city than does San Antonio. When calculating the total residential and commercial GPCD in Dallas, all of this water use is included. This use is divided by the number of residents, resulting in a higher per-resident use rate than is seen in San Antonio. This confusion over actual water use is precisely the reason GPCD needs to be standardized.

Right now, there is a different standard for every region of the state. There is no true apples to apples comparison. This creates misleading information about water usage in certain parts of the state and allows for a faulty measuring system to misrepresent our conservation needs statewide. Going forward, the Legislature must consider the recommendations made by the Texas Water Conservation Advisory Council in their 2008 report to the Legislature. These recommendations included developing methodology, metrics, and standards for water conservation implementation statewide, as well as specific guidelines for how GPCD is calculated. We must make this a priority in the next legislative session.

While we may never end up like that sailor in Coleridge's classic poem, there is certainly no reason for us to strand ourselves with a short-sighted water use plan. As we work to address Texas' varied water demands, it is essential that we create a new system for water conservation. Our future depends on it.

Since 1993, Senator Florence Shapiro has represented District 8, consisting of Collin and Dallas Counties. She chairs the Senate Committee on Education and also serves on the Senate Committees on Finance, Transportation and Homeland Security, and Administration.