Adequate use of municipal water recycling, Texas’ “water problem”, comes down primarily to providing enough water for residential lawns.
“Texas’s water problem is not what everyone thinks it is. It’s not as acute as it has been portrayed. And it shouldn’t be solved by throwing huge amounts of public money at it.” So says a blog by Texas Conservation Alliance written for the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation.
The article analyzes Texas future water demands, particularly the difference between consumptive use (water evaporated or used by plants) and non-consumptive use (water which goes down the drain, is captured in a wastewater treatment plant, and can be recycled and reused).
“Texas’ water problem is not what everyone thinks it is. It’s not as acute as it has been portrayed. And it shouldn’t be solved by throwing huge amounts of public money at it.”
TCA’s blog goes on to explain that with adequate use of municipal water recycling, Texas’ “water problem” comes down primarily to providing enough water for residential lawns. Fortunately, in most cases, there are simple, low-cost solutions to have enough water for lawns – solutions that don’t involve investment in massive public water projects.
Landscaping with native plants or with plants whose water requirements mimic the local native vegetation and capturing rain run-off from the impervious cover associated with urban and suburban development are two efficient methods.