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| Thirsty to learn more? Rainfall on and above the Highland Lakes flows into the Colorado River and is stored in lakes Buchanan and Travis, which provide drinking water for about a million Central Texans (see image below for annual rainfall averages). Because of this year’s drought, the amount of water flowing into the Colorado River above Austin has been less than any previous recorded year. That’s a problem. In Central Texas and the Hill Country, demand for water is greater than ever. Consumers need to use the river’s limited water wisely to make it last. In fact, if one-third of the families that rely on the river for drinking water cut back home water use by 10 percent, collectively they would save more water than the flow into Lake Buchanan in the past 12 months.
Most people think saving water is only necessary during drought – if it rains, there is no need to save water. That is a myth. While rainfall in Central Texas and the Hill Country supplements the Colorado River, it doesn’t eliminate the need to make our water supply last. For example, last summer was a wet one. But, if we all would have used 10 percent less water, Lake Travis could be 2 to 3 feet higher today. The good news is reducing water use doesn't take much effort. You can water the lawn one less time each month, fix a leak or change sprinkler heads. Consumers are learning about these simple conservation tips through a new water-awareness campaign launched in July by LCRA in partnership with the City of Austin. The campaign, “Water IQ: Know Your Water,” is designed to make people aware of the source of their water, inform them about the importance of water for our future and offer simple tips to help people save water in homes and businesses. Visit WaterIQ.org for useful tips and resources to help you save water, to learn about events in your community, and to take a quiz to measure your Water IQ. If you or your organization would like to participate in the Water IQ program, e-mail wateriq@lcra.org. |
