City of Dallas Water Utilities has had conservation programs since the early 1980’s. Over the years those activities increased to include children’s activities, water conservation seminars/workshops, an annual Water-Wise Landscape tour and more. In 2001, the Dallas City Council took conservation efforts to another level by adopting an irrigation ordinance which included time-of-day watering restrictions.
The ordinance and other measures have reduced gallons per capita per day in Dallas by 26% since 2001 resulting in:
- An estimated water savings of over 316 billion gallons or 22 billion gallons annually
- An energy savings of 694.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity
- A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 478,614 tons
Source: 2014 Dallas Long Range Water Supply Plan to 2070 and Beyond; Dallas Water Utilities, December 2015
The City of Dallas 2010 Water Conservation Strategic Plan and 2014 Water Conservation Plan include the following goals,:
- Develop water conservation programs aimed at:
- developing and implementing programs aimed at reducing seasonal peak demands,
- reducing water loss and waste, and o decreasing per capita water use (gpcd),
- Continuation of heightened public awareness of water conservation,
- Continue to implement conservation practices that will maintain quality of life and allow economic growth and development,
- Continue to implement broad-based public and private stakeholder groups, leading by example by upgrading city facilities with water-efficient fixtures, landscapes, and irrigation systems wherever possible,
- Assist in facilitating regional conservation efforts among DWU wholesale customer cities and neighboring municipalities, and
- Establish the foundation for continuation of water savings targets for the following five-year period and beyond.
For more information about the conservation intiatives underway at the Dallas Water Utilities, visit www.SaveDallasWater.com.