Tim discussed how he got into collecting rainwater for his farm.  He sustains all of his gardens with the rainwater he collects at his farm.  Along with active rainwater collection into tanks, he has also designed the land with swales, terraces, small ponds and check dams to help retain water longer after rains.

Tim’s water conservation efforts have not gone unnoticed. He’s been recognized with awards from the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, as well as the Blue Legacy Award from the State’s Water Conservation Advisory Council as an agriculture producer.

The podcast also visited with two members of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Green Team. Annalise Reichert is a Sustainability Program Specialist in the Support Resources Division, and Christy Seals is a registered architect and the Design Program Manager for the agency’s Infrastructure Division.  The Green Team’s mission is to help Texas Parks and Wildlife improve its environmental sustainability efforts. A key part of that process is meeting goals set forth in a sustainability plan that focuses on energy efficiency, water conservation, waste mitigation and recycling.

They discussed the potential opportunities for rainwater collection at the Texas Parks.  They mentioned two parks in particular, Cedar Hill State Park near Dallas and Mission Tejas State Park in east Texas.  At Cedar Hill, they are implementing passive rainwater collection strategies to mitigate stormwater runoff while at Mission Tejas State Park, they are using rainwater collection for toilet/urinal flushing.

While the rainwater collection system at Mission Tejas helps to conserve water (offsetting the use of municipally treated water), it is also a way to educate the park visitors about what rainwater harvesting can do and allows them to think about applying it at their homes.

Visit the Under the Texas Sky podcast website to listen to the episode or you can download the podcast episode from your favorite podcast provider.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Talks Rainwater Collection is a post from the The Water Nexus Blog produced by Chris Maxwell-Gaines of Innovative Water Solutions LLC.

Here are 10 more documentaries, films, and video portals about the various water issues facing humanity. This is the sequel to my previous post that listed 10 Water Documentaries.

1. Last Call at the Oasis

The global water crisis will be the central issue facing our world this century. We can manage this problem, but only if we are willing to act now. Last Call at the Oasis is a powerful new documentary that shatters myths behind our most precious resource. This film exposes defects in the current system, shows communities already struggling with its ill-effects and highlights individuals championing revolutionary solutions during the global water crisis. Firmly establishing the global water crisis as the central issue facing our world this century, the film posits that we can manage this problem if we act now.

The documentary sheds light on the vital role water plays in our lives, exposes the defects in the current system, shows communities already struggling with its ill effects and introduces us to individuals who are championing revolutionary solutions, such as activist Erin Brockovich and distinguished experts Peter Gleick, Alex Prud’homme, Jay Famiglietti and Robert Glennon.

Last Call At The Oasis is available for free on Amazon Prime Video.

2.  In Our Water

In this Oscar nominated documentary, a New Jersey family discovers their well is being poisoned by a landfill while local and state officials assure them their water is safe to drink. A 5-year saga of bureaucratic neglect and court inaction reveals the Kaler’s drinking water could have been bottled as paint remover. The landfill is later declared a Superfund site but as of 2018 has yet to be “cleaned up”.

As regulations protecting our water are again under attack, IN OUR WATER is both cautionary tale and map to activism. Educators, environmentalists, government bureaucrats, politicians, citizens and water drinkers everywhere can benefit from experiencing this exceptional movie.

Nominated for Best Documentary, Features at the Academy Awards. Nominated for Best Documentary at the Chicago International Film Festival. Winner of the Columbia DuPont Award for Journalistic Excellence.

The documentary is available by streaming with your public library card or university login.

3. Liquid Assets

Liquid Assets, a ninety-minute documentary, tells the story of essential infrastructure systems: water, wastewater, and stormwater. These systems — some in the ground for more than 100 years — provide a critical public health function and are essential for economic development and growth. Largely out of sight and out of mind, these aging systems have not been maintained, and some estimates suggest this is the single largest public works endeavor in our nation’s history.

Exploring the history, engineering challenges, and political and economic realities in urban and rural locations, the documentary provides an understanding of the hidden assets that support our way of life. Locations featured in the documentary include Atlanta, Boston, Herminie (Pennsylvania), Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C.

The documentary is available for purchase at Penn State Media Sales.

4. Waters’ Journey: Everglades

Waters’ Journey: Everglades explores how the Everglades ecosystem has been pushed to the brink of collapse and what it’ll take to restore it. A crew of filmmakers, adventurers and scientists devote two full episodes to explore this situation. One team of environmental detectives sets out by canoe, kayak and foot to explore the historic beauty of the river of grass, while another team embarks on a parallel journey through farms and cities built on lands that were drained for development. The teams reunite at the end of the system, examining how the health of the Everglades affects Florida Bay, the coral reefs, and beyond.

The film’s website provides lots of resources and ways for you to learn more about the plight of the Everglades. They have put together some amazing animations showing how the Everglades are polluted by stormwater runoff.

While only trailers are available online, you can purchase the Waters’ Journey: Everglades documentary DVD here.

5. Watermark

Watermark is a feature documentary from multiple-award winning filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nick de Pencier, and renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky. The film brings together diverse stories from around the globe about our relationship with water: how we are drawn to it, what we learn from it, how we use it and the consequences of that use. We see massive floating abalone farms off China’s Fujian coast and the construction site of the biggest arch dam in the world – the Xiluodu, six times the size of the Hoover. We visit the barren desert delta where the mighty Colorado River no longer reaches the ocean, and the water-intensive leather tanneries of Dhaka.We witness how humans are drawn to water, from the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach to the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, where thirty million people gather for a sacred bath in the Ganges at the same time. We speak with scientists who drill ice cores two kilometers deep into the Greenland Ice Sheet, and explore the sublime pristine watershed of Northern British Columbia. Shot in stunning 5K ultra high-definition video and full of soaring aerial perspectives, this film shows water as a terraforming element, as well as the magnitude of our need and use. In Watermark, the viewer is immersed in a magnificent force of nature that we all too often take for granted- until it’s gone.

The documentary is available via DVD on Netflix.

6. Poisoned Waters

More than two decades after the Clean Water Act was supposed to make America’s waters clean enough for swimming and fishing again, two iconic waterways — the great coastal estuaries of Puget Sound and the Chesapeake Bay — are in perilous condition. With polluted runoff still flowing in from industry, agriculture and massive suburban development, scientists fear contamination to the food chain and drinking water for millions of people. A growing list of endangered species is also threatened in both estuaries. As a new president, Congress and the states set new agendas and spending priorities, FRONTLINE correspondent Hedrick Smith examines the rising hazards to human health and the ecosystem, and why its so hard to keep our waters clean.

Watch the entire documentary here:

7. Troubled Waters: A Mississippi River Story

The Emmy Award-winning Troubled Waters: A Mississippi River Story tells the story of the unintended yet severe consequences of farming along the Mississippi, and the efforts being taken to reverse this damage. America’s heartland boasts some of the world’s most productive farmland, but this bounty has come with a price. Excess crop fertilizers are contaminating the nation’s rivers, lakes and aquifers, while at the same time precious soil is washing away.

The film traces the development of America’s bountiful harvest and examines its effect on the legendary river, as well as the “dead zone” created in the Gulf of Mexico. Knitting together federal energy, farm and environmental policies, the film makes a compelling case for revamping US agricultural policy and practices. It also helps viewers to grasp a profound truth – that a single drop of water in the upper Midwest has an impact far downstream.

Through beautiful photography and narrative, Troubled Waters emphasizes solutions, providing a hopeful blueprint for progress and positive change. The film tells the stories of farmers, scientists and citizens who are pursuing more sustainable land-use practices that meet the goals of an ambitious, food-producing nation, while ensuring the long-term health of its most precious natural resources.

8. Dead Harvest

Ray McNally examines the devastating impact that the federal water policy and environmental lawsuits are having on Central Valley farms and families.

9. A World Without Water

As the highest water bills ever land on doormats across the UK this April, this film investigates the future of the world’s water, and paints a disturbing picture of a world running out of the most basic of life’s essentials.

8 year old Vanessa and her parents have to walk almost a mile down the cliffs of El Alto in Bolivia to collect water from an unreliable well every day. Yet, they live just a few hundred metres from their city’s main water treatment plant and can see millions of gallons just beyond the barbed wire fence. They are victims of waters increasing commodification.

In 2000, the members of of the United Nations committed to halving the number of people in the world without access to water, by 2015. But within our lifefime over half of the world’s population will be living without access to safe water and sanitation.

The struggle for this precious resource and the battle for its ownership is explored through compelling stories of families living in Bolivia, Detroit, Dar Es Salaam and Rajestan. As the background to these stories we explore the conflicts over the future of water and see how even those living in the relatively water-rich UK hold the survival of the planet in our hands.

You can watch the documentary on TrueVision’s website.

10. A Thirsty World

The water documentary “A Thirsty World” combines French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s aerial photography with down-to-earth messages, a mélange that calls attention to problems of water security on a global scale.

Bertrand’s images remind viewers of water’s power and its potential to accomplish great missions, from carving mountainsides to delivering nutrients to fields to sustaining life.

Within this majestic framework, Directors Baptiste Rouget-Luchaire and Thierry Piantanida zoom in their focus to individuals in 20 countries around the world. They show their struggles to confront issues of water quality and quantity.

The film showcases locations where individuals are changing the ways that they manage water. The audience sees images of Cambodian farmers who are using water in a more efficient way, and Indian farmers who are choosing crops that require less water, for example.

10 More Water Documentaries and Films about the Earth’s Water Situation is a post from the The Water Nexus Blog produced by Chris Maxwell-Gaines of Innovative Water Solutions LLC.

Updated June 23, 2019

The 2019 Texas Legislative is in full swing and the legislative bill filing deadline has now passed. Here is a comprehensive list of the water-related bills filed in the 2019 session of the Texas Legislature. I have grouped the bills in topical areas.

Flood Planning and Infrastructure

A big topic in this year’s legislative agenda is creating legislation that will address the needs of stormwater management and flooding in the state. This is largely due to the damage that Hurricane Harvey affected on Texas in 2018.

SB 7 | HB 13 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to flood control planning and the funding of flood planning, mitigation, and infrastructure projects.

SB 8 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to state and regional flood planning.

SB 339 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to a seller’s disclosure notice for residential property regarding floodplains, flood pools, or reservoirs.

SB 396 | Did not pass
Relating to state and regional flood planning.

HB 478 | Did not pass
Relating to the funding of flood planning, mitigation, and infrastructure projects.

SB 695 | Did not pass
Relating to state policies and programs that affect the funding of flood planning, mitigation, and infrastructure projects; making an appropriation.

HB 3815 / HB 3839 / SB 1220 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to requiring notices of property located in floodplains, flood pools, or reservoirs to be provided by sellers of real property and on subdivision plats.

SB 1521 | Did not pass
Relating to the funding of flood planning, mitigation, and infrastructure projects; making an appropriation.

Texas Water Development Board (TWDB)

HB 2957 / SB 1379 | Did not pass
Relating to a requirement that certain recipients of financial assistance from the TWDB adopt certain restrictions on water use by their customers.

HB 1052 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the authority of the TWDB to use the state participation account of the water development fund to provide financial assistance for the development of certain facilities.

HB 721 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the duty of the TWDB to conduct studies of and prepare and submit reports on aquifer storage and recovery.

HB 3770 / SB 1496 | Did not pass
Relating to a pilot project conducted by the TWDB regarding the real-time monitoring of the inundation and water quality of certain portions of the Rio Grande.

HB 2098 | Did not pass
Relating to a study by the TWDB and the TCEQ regarding the effects of the construction of a border wall on water quality in this state.

SB 1574 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the duties of the TWDB.

HB 1594 | Did not pass
Relating to a study by the TWDB of groundwater availability in certain counties.

SB 2452 | Signed by the Governor, Effective on adoption of constitutional amendment
Relating to the provision by the Texas Water Development Board of financial assistance for the development of certain projects in economically distressed areas.

HB 4279 / SB 2437 | Did not pass
Relating to the authority of the Texas Water Development Board to establish, operate, and, through the issuance of general obligation bonds, finance a grant program to provide financial assistance to political subdivisions and the state for projects related to disaster recovery; disaster mitigation; or construct, repair, rehabilitate, or reconstruct state or local infrastructure.

SB 397 | Did not pass
Relating to funding of certain flood-related projects by the Texas Water Development Board and the reporting and administration of certain flood-related projects by the State Soil and Water Conservation Board.

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)

HB 2771 / SB 1585 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the authority of the TCEQ to issue permits for the discharge into water of this state of produced water, hydrostatic test water, and gas plant effluent resulting from certain oil and gas activities.

HB 3998 | Did not pass
Relating to the transfer of the administration of surface water rights permitting from the TCEQ to the TWDB and the regulation of groundwater; authorizing fees; authorizing civil penalties.

HB 724 / SB 1836 | Did not pass
Relating to the authorization by the TCEQ of the discharge, diversion, and transfer or other reuse of treated brackish groundwater and return flows derived from treated brackish groundwater.

HB 3114  | Did not pass
Relating to contested case hearings on matters under the jurisdiction of the TCEQ.

SB 911 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the supervision of water districts by the TCEQ.

HB 3320 | Did not pass
Relating to the authority of the TCEQ to require water pollution abatement plans from certain facilities regulated by the Railroad Commission of Texas.

Edwards Aquifer

SB 483 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to permits for certain injection wells that transect a portion of the Edwards Aquifer.

HB 4110 | Did not pass
Relating to a study evaluating and making recommendations for the regulation of on-site sewage disposal systems in the recharge zone of the Edwards Aquifer.

HB 2729 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the administration, duties, and operation of the Edwards Aquifer Authority; authorizing a fee.

HB 1904 / SB 881 | Did not pass
Relating to withdrawals of water from the Edwards Aquifer to supply a military installation.

HB 481 / SB 520 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the storage and recovery of water in a portion of the Edwards Aquifer.

HB 3656 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the transfer of certain permitted irrigation water rights related to a certain portion of the Edwards Aquifer.

HB 1479 | Did not pass
Relating to the transfer of certain permitted irrigation water rights related to a certain portion of the Edwards Aquifer.

HB 1806 | Passed, vetoed by the Governor
Relating to the use of water withdrawn from the Edwards Aquifer by certain entities.

HB 4002 | Did not pass
Relating to a contested case hearing to identify a sensitive feature related to an Edwards Aquifer protection plan.

HB 817 / SB 655 | Did not pass
Relating to a restriction on permits authorizing direct discharges of waste or pollutants into water in certain areas of the Edwards Aquifer.

HB 3644 | Did not pass
Relating to transfer of irrigation water rights allowed by the Edwards Aquifer Authority.

Water Supply and Quality

HB 3053 | Did not pass
Relating to the adoption of a healthy and safe school water plan by public schools.

HB 2998 | Did not pass
Relating to lead in drinking water at schools and child care facilities.

SB 1030 | Did not pass
Relating to the duty of a water supply system to provide certain information to consumers regarding fluoride in drinking water.

HB 997 | Did not pass
Relating to testing for lead contamination in public school drinking water.

HB 458 | Did not pass
Relating to notice of a scheduled disconnection of water utility service.

River Authorities

SB 626 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority; following the recommendations of the Sunset Advisory Commission.

SB 627 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the Red River Authority, following recommendations of the Sunset Advisory Commission.

SB 625 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the Nueces River Authority, following recommendations of the Sunset Advisory Commission.

Licensing

HB 1670 / SB 621 | Did not pass
Relating to the transfer of the regulation of plumbing to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, following recommendations of the Sunset Advisory Commission; requiring an occupational license; authorizing a fee.

Drought Planning

SB 900 | Did not pass
Relating to state and local planning for and responses to drought.

Water Utility Districts: Creation and Revisions

HB 2660 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the creation of the Richfield Ranch Water Control and Improvement District of Harris County, Texas; granting a limited power of eminent domain; providing authority to issue bonds; providing authority to impose assessments, fees, and taxes.

HB 2590 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the administration, powers, and duties of a municipal utility district.

HB 1958 / SB 1043 | Did not pass
Relating to the territory, powers, and administration of the Gulf Coast Water Authority.

HB 1826 / SB 1310 | Did not pass
Relating to the procedure for amending or revoking certificates of public convenience and necessity issued to certain water utilities.

HB 4643 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the creation of the Wood Trace Water Control and Improvement District of Montgomery County, Texas; granting a limited power of eminent domain; providing authority to issue bonds; providing authority to impose assessments, fees, and taxes.

HB 4241 | Did not pass
Relating to providing services for or acquiring certain water utilities and establishing related rates.

HB 4172 | Passed, effective without Governor’s signature
Relating to the nonsubstantive revision of certain local laws concerning water and wastewater special districts, including conforming amendments.

HB 3781 | Did not pass
Relating to the creation of the Val Verde County Groundwater Conservation District; providing authority to issue bonds; providing authority to impose fees, surcharges, and taxes.

SB 700 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the regulation of certain classes of retail public water utilities.

SB 2272 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the procedure for amending or revoking certificates of public convenience and necessity issued to certain water utilities.

HB 4424 | Did not pass
Relating to the creation of the Clear Creek Watershed Regional Flood Control District; granting a limited power of eminent domain; providing authority to issue bonds; providing authority to impose assessments, fees, and taxes; providing a civil penalty.

Financial / Tax-Related

HB 2023 / SB 942 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the use of money in the state water pollution control revolving fund.

HB 1800 | Did not pass
Relating to the Texas resilience infrastructure fund; authorizing the issuance of revenue bonds; making an appropriation.

SB 1930 | Did not pass
Relating to the eligibility of property used for a water desalination project for ad valorem tax benefits under the Texas Economic Development Act.

HB 3001 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the fiscal transparency of special purpose districts and other political subdivisions.

SB 1281 | Did not pass
Relating to assessments for water and energy improvements in certain municipalities and counties.

Planning / Advisory

HB 1010 | Did not pass
Relating to state and regional flood planning.

HB 807 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the state and regional water planning process.

HB 3339 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to requirements for programs of water conservation and water conservation plans.

HB 4570 | Did not pass
Relating to establishing an advisory board to study surface water and groundwater interaction.

HB 1671 | Did not pass
Relating to water quality protection areas.

HB 1868 | Did not pass
Relating to the creation of the Texas Rural Water Advisory Council.

HB 2031 | Did not pass
Relating to a statewide water conservation public awareness program.

SB 1381 | Did not pass
Relating to a biennial report on stormwater infrastructure in this state.

Groundwater / Aquifer Related

HB 3717 / SB 1999 | Did not pass
Relating to an oil and gas production tax credit for oil and gas producers that provide treated produced water to aquifer storage and recovery project operators.

HB 726 | Did not pass
Relating to the regulation of groundwater.

HB 722 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the development of brackish groundwater.

HB 720 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to appropriations of water for use in aquifer storage and recovery projects.

SB 1010 | Did not pass
Relating to rules adopted by groundwater conservation districts overlying a common aquifer.

Miscellaneous

SB 1295 | Did not pass
Relating to the inclusion of water filling stations in the sales and use tax exemption for water-efficient products.

HB 245 | Did not pass
Relating to a requirement to make certain environmental and water use permit applications available online.

HB 26 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to the creation of an alert system to notify affected persons of certain releases of water from certain dams.

HB 1964 | Passed, effective without Governor’s signature
Relating to the procedure for action on certain applications for an amendment to a water right.

SB 530 | Signed by the Governor
Relating to civil and administrative penalties assessed or imposed for violations of laws protecting drinking water, public water supplies, and bodies of water.

HB 3099 | Did not pass
Relating to standards for water management in certain areas.

SB 1446 | Did not pass
Relating to performance standards for certain aboveground storage tanks.

2019 Texas Legislative Roundup: Water Related Bills and More is a post from the The Water Nexus Blog produced by Chris Maxwell-Gaines of Innovative Water Solutions LLC.

The 8th annual Central Texas Water Conservation Symposium occurred on February 1, 2018 in Austin, Texas.  The program included many great topics and interesting speakers. The title for this year’s Symposium was “Future Focused Water Conservation, Past to Present: What’s Next on the Horizon?” The Symposium provides the water industry with the information needed to implement successful water conservation programs, effectively engage customers, and plan for the future.  The Symposium is always a great time to connect and reconnect with water professionals who are actively working to improve water conservation and efficiency in central Texas.

Presentations topics and speakers included:

• The Present & Future of Residential Water Efficiency by Ronald Voglewede, Globals Sustainability Director, Whirlpool Corporation
• Texas Legislative Changes Affecting Water Conservation by John Sutton, Manager of Water & ICI Water Conservation of the Texas Water Development Board
• Reducing Long-term Rate Impacts through Water Conservation & Lessons Learned from Water Conservation Program Design & Implementation by Candice Rupprecht, Water Conservation Manager, Tucson Water
• How the Great Artesian Depletion Taught Texas to Not Waste Water by Robert Mace, Chief Water Policy Officer, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
• PACE Financing for Water Efficiency in the Commercial & Institutional Sector by Jonathon Blackburn, Managing Director, Texas PACE Authority
• What is Integrated Urban Water Management or “One Water” & What Can It Do for Texas? by Sarah Richards, Water Program Officer, The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation
• How does Texas Measure Up? Comparing Laws & Regulations Enacted in the 50 States by Mary Ann Dickinson, President and CEO of the Alliance for Water Efficiency

Download the Central Texas Water Symposium program.

The slides from the presentations are available at the bottom of this post.

5 Inspiring Takeaways from the Symposium

1. The Water Conserving Appliance Innovations by the Whirlpool Corporation

The Whirlpool Corporation has been actively reducing the water and energy use of their products since the late 1960s.  Early on, they recognized that their appliances would be responsible for most of the energy and water use in our homes.  Some of the interesting innovations that will be coming out soon is a new heat pump dryer, a water recycling dishwashing machine, as well as a in-home composter.  In addition, they actively research how their appliances make an impact on energy and water use in a residential home by sponsoring the ReneWWW House.

Robert Mace wrote a great blog post summarizing the innovations presented by Mr. Voglewede in his presentation.

2.  The Amazing History of Artesian Wells in Texas and How it Changed the Path of Water Resource Development in Texas

Between the 1880s to 1910s, the artesian well drilling craze hit Texas.  When this water “magically” bubbled to the surface, the assumption was that these wells would produce an “infinite” amount of water.

Did you know that when Fort Worth drilled their first artesian well in 1891, it produced so much water that the mayor called for “a well drilled at every corner”?  In Waco, one of their wells was 1,800 feet deep and had an output of 1.5 million gallons of water per day!

It was common to just leave these artesian wells to run… constantly.  In the 1920s, many artesian wells stopped producing water.  Finally, in 1931, the Texas Legislature passed a law requiring wells to be turned off when not in use.

From the experience with the frenzied drilling of artesian wells in the early part of the 1900s, Texas started to learn the hard lessons that groundwater wasn’t an infinite source of future and that no water resource can be taken for granted.

3.  PACE Financing Can be a Great Opportunity for Existing Commercial Developments to Implement Large-Scale Water Conservation Efforts

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is a proven financial tool that incentivizes Texas’ commercial, industrial, and multifamily property owners to upgrade existing facility infrastructure with little or no capital outlay. Approved by State legislation and established by local governments, PACE programs enable owners to lower their operating costs and use the savings to pay for eligible water conservation, energy efficiency, resiliency, and distributed generation projects.

PACE financing may be used to pay for permanent improvements to the property that are intended to decrease water or energy consumption or demand.  In terms of the water conservation and efficiency improvements, PACE financing can be used for water heating systems, water management systems and controls, irrigation equipment, rainwater collection systems, toilets and other water fixtures, graywater reuse systems, and more.

4.  How “One Water” or Integrated Urban Water Management can Bring Innovation to the Traditional Water Utility and Management Sectors

When you think about water, you most likely think about it in a very compartmentalized way.  You have the water that you interact with in your home, both the potable supply you receive from the city and the wastewater that you send back to the city.  Then you have the water in our environment such as the lakes and rivers in our state.  You may even think about the water flowing through our communities during flood events.  While it is easy to separate them, all of this water is ultimately the same water.

You are not alone though.  This compartmentalized philosophy permeates all of our water management structures, from city departments to county planning agencies, to even the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

So it was refreshing to hear about the “One Water” concept that the Mitchell Foundation Water Program is promoting in order to change this compartmentalized water resource management paradigm.

One Water, as defined by the Water Research Foundation, is the integrated planning and implementation approach to managing finite water resources for long-term resilience and reliability, meeting both community and ecosystem needs.  It requires us to think about water as a single system rather than disparate flows.

As the first step in their endeavor, the Mitchell Foundation has produced a report entitled “Advancing One Water in Texas” and it will be available soon.  The report outlines the premise of One Water, the reasons why the shift needs to be made in Texas, potential obstacles to its adoption in Texas, and various action areas.

5.  Tucson, Arizona, Performed an Avoided Cost Analysis to Quantify What Their Water Customers Would be Paying Without Their Water Conservation Efforts

I know you have probably asked this question before… “If we are doing a great job at conserving water and reducing our water consumption, why does my water rates continue to rise?”  Well, many Tucson residents were asking the same question.  Tucson Water had a scripted answer for their customers.  Basically, “It’s complicated and there is a lot that contributes to water rates in our community.”  That answer didn’t sit well with their customers so Tucson Water decided to quantify what their customers would be paying currently if the residents of Tucson hadn’t heeded the calls for water conservation back in the late 1980s.

Tucson Water developed an “avoided cost” analysis.  They started with the population of Tucson in 1989 and that associated gallons per capita per day (gpcd) water usage.  They applied the 1989 gpcd to the population of Tucson in 2015.  This provided them with the amount of additional water per day that the city would have had to produce if Tucson residents were using the same gpcd in 2015 as they were in 1989.  Then, they put a cost on all of the water infrastructure they would have had to construct in order to meet this higher demand for water.

What they figured out is that, by conserving water, the average water bill would be 12% higher today if the residents of Tucson were using water at the per capita rate of 1989.  This equates to about $112 savings in the analysis year of 2015.  While the $112 may not seem like a lot of money, it is real savings that were documented due to the practice of water conservation by the residents of Tucson.  Also, remember that any infrastructure installed becomes a liability that has to be maintained.  By not installing or delaying the installation to a later time when the produced water is needed, they are also removing liabilities from the city and ultimately the taxpayers.

Symposium Presentations

About the Central Texas Water Efficiency Network

The Central Texas Water Efficiency Network (CTWEN) is a coalition of municipalities, water providers, and water conservation advocates in the Central Texas region. Our purpose has been defined as the following: To openly and actively share information and promote water efficiency education, legislation, programs, technologies, and all other integral components of water conservation in order to regionally have an impact on water supplies and use.

CTWEN meets regularly on the second Thursday of each month. For additional information about CTWEN and upcoming meeting schedule, contact Jessica Woods, the City of Round Rock Water Conservation Coordinator.

Like this Review Post?

Comment below with your thoughts or questions.  Thanks!

5 Inspiring Takeaways from the 2018 Central Texas Water Conservation Symposium is a post from the The Water Nexus Blog produced by Chris Maxwell-Gaines of Innovative Water Solutions LLC.

Let’s set the record straight…

While there are many states that have laws and regulations that provide restrictions on the practice of rainwater harvesting, there is NO state that completely outlaws it.  Most states allow for the free practice of rainwater harvesting.  There are some states that do make it more difficult than other states, but again, there is no state where it illegal.

The video below is a presentation I gave at the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) conference on October 17, 2017.  It is only a portion of the presentation though.  It provides a survey of existing rainwater harvesting laws across the US. It highlights the current regulations in many states and it shows the states that don’t have regulations. It discusses the future developments needed to ensure that rainwater harvesting is allowed in every state in the US.  Below the video, you can view the whole powerpoint presentation that I uploaded to SlideShare.

Download a pdf of the presentation.

I do want to thank Jessica Huntington of Acer Water Tanks for recording this video for me!

Survey of Existing Rainwater Harvesting Laws in the United States is a post from the The Water Nexus Blog produced by Chris Maxwell-Gaines of Innovative Water Solutions LLC.