People in the driest areas of Texas are not just scanning the skies and hoping for rescue. Driven by the realities of population growth, heat waves and drought, water suppliers have taken steps to boost water supplies.

North Texas: Building Water IQ

The North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) serves 1.6 million people in suburbs of Dallas such as Garland, Mesquite and Plano. The population is expected to triple by 2060. In stage three of a drought, the NTMWD asked customers to reduce consumption by 5 percent. It is estimated that a 10 percent reduction will occur, according to Denise Hickey, the NTMWD’s public relations coordinator.

The NTMWD credits Water IQ, an educational campaign – also used by LCRA – to build awareness of the area’s water sources. Post-campaign research confirmed a direct connection between individuals knowing their water source and their willingness to conserve. The NTMWD plans to build on last year’s campaign by urging changes in behavior: measuring how much water a lawn needs, setting irrigation timers correctly and choosing appropriate plants for landscaping.

Damianita is a drought-tolerant, deer-resistant native perennial used for borders, specimen plants and groundcover. It thrives in the light shade to full sun and has evergreen foliage and fragrant yellow flowers that bloom from mid spring to mid summer.

Upper Colorado River: Reusing Water

The West Texas region that depends on the upper Colorado River is in the grip of a drought worse than the Drought of Record. The three reservoirs managed by the Colorado River Municipal Water District (CRMWD) are at 25 percent of capacity.

Facing the limits of its supply, CRMWD will launch a water reuse pilot project this summer in Big Spring. If all goes well, water reuse projects will branch out to Odessa and Snyder. Conventionally treated wastewater will go to another treatment plant to undergo membrane filtration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet oxidation before it’s blended with raw water, treated again and used for irrigation and industry. “The raw water molecule will be scrubbed several times,” said Chris Wingert, manager of planning and development. “We thought it would raise eyebrows, but our stakeholders’ main objection was, ‘Why haven’t you done this before?’”

El Paso Water Utilities: Conservation as a Way of Life

For El Paso, the wake up call came in the 1970s when aquifer depletion was imminent. Over time the region responded with a comprehensive water supply strategy: conservation, restrictions, extensive water reuse, pricing, conjunctive use of surface (Rio Grande) water and groundwater, education and rebates. El Paso Water Utilities also encouraged the use of native and well-adapted plants for landscaping, working with nurseries to stock them.

Water use has declined from nearly 230 gallons per day (gpd) per person to 136 gpd, said Karol Parker of El Paso Water Utilities.

“If we want to keep industry or have industry come in, they need to know we have enough water,” Parker said. “So to survive, conservation has become a way of life.”

Find out how LCRA manages the lower Colorado River in Texas during times of drought.