Perspectives on Water Conservation

Water conservation is not an objective in itself, but a part of the broader objective of total water management. The meaning of water conservation has changed during the past 100 yrs from storage of spring runoff to more efficient use of existing supplies. A number of considerations affect the need for conservation and the measures selected to meet this need, including the reasons why conservation is to be adopted, whether conservation is being adopted for emergency or normal conditions, and the means of conservation. Lastly, water and law energy influence conservation adoption and practices. Established water laws may have an important bearing on what can be done and how it is to be done. The need for energy and the cost of energy (especially for pumping and cooling) will be an increasingly important factor in water management in the future.