Environment Texas: Spend More Money To Save More Water

By B.J. Austin

A Texas environmental group wants state lawmakers to spend more on water conservation programs as a key way to ensure the state has enough water for a growing population.

Environment Texas says new water conservation measures in agriculture, landscaping and energy production could save 500 billion gallons of water a year in 2020.
 
Andrew Quicksall, SMU engineer and water expert says the biggest immediate impact could come from agriculture, which is responsible for 56 percent of the state’s water demand. He says changing to drip irrigation from overhead sprinklers is one option. It uses less water, loses less to evaporation and is more beneficial to crops.
 
“Agriculture can really impact the runoff and irrigation concerns that we have by utilizing already existing technology and already existing equipment," Quicksall said at the release of a new Environment Texas report on conservation. "What we need are policies and incentive structures to push that along.”...