At a time when government at every level is looking for easy spending cuts, there is a unique opportunity for a double win. Austin is looking to build a new water treatment plan to respond to what is seen as an increase in peak water demand. Unfortunately, water is not produced out of a vacuum; it has to be taken from a source, in this case Lake Travis, which is fed by the Colorado River.
Water sources like the Colorado are not inexhaustible sources. Like everything else in the world, they are a finite resource and must be treated with care if we want to be able to reap benefits from them for decades to come.
According to Clean Water Action, Austenites can expect to save $124 million dollars by putting in a “ramped up” water conservation plan over the next decade. Clean Water Action also goes on to detail that in the past when Austinites have been called to conserve water during the 2009 drought, the response was overwhelmingly positive and water use has dropped significantly during summer months. Conservation CAN work in this city.
I think Austin as a whole is well known for having the somewhat liberal ethic of being environmentally conscious and conservation minded—something that makes me immensely proud to live in Austin. I think that saying no to a water treatment plant and giving up a few day to day conveniences in the name of being environmentally conscious is something that has Austin written all over it. We need to be a shining example for the rest of Texas of how conservation can work and how citizens can collectively come together and decide to be responsible about using natural resources.
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