Extending or Increasing Water Supplies 



Of the 106 water resource subregions in the country 

 as defined by the Water Resources Council (fig. 7.1), 

 several are expected to experience severe water short- 

 ages, both currently and in future years. Figures 7.8 

 and 7.9 show the subregions by water depletion 

 categories for mean and dry years. It is evident that, 

 in the future, water must be used more efficiently or 

 overall supplies must be increased in many sub- 

 regions if the economic and social impacts from water 

 shortages are to be avoided. 



One thing is certain: there is no single solution. 

 Across the Nation, there is remarkable diversity in 

 the role that water plays. Over most of the West, 

 water is scarce and must be managed carefully — and 

 the detailed traditions and laws that have evolved 

 dictate the use of water. In other areas, flooding is 

 more of a problem than drought. There are many 

 other examples. 



The President's proposed water policy contains 

 water conservation as its cornerstone. In many areas, 

 usable supplies could be increased significantly 

 through more efficient use of water. As indicated in 

 the discussion of demand for water earlier in this 

 chapter, the quantity of water demanded in the future 

 for steam electric cooling and manufacturing is ex- 

 pected to decline substantially in some water resource 

 regions because of environmental regulations that 

 require cooHng towers and recycling of processing 

 water. These are examples of lowered demands for 

 water that could be repeated for other uses and 

 achieved in other ways. 



Before discussing specific situations where water 

 could be used more efficiently, the area of incen- 

 tives for more efficient use will be discussed. Two 

 broad types of incentives are possible to encourage 

 water users to be more efficient: (1) economic, and 

 (2) regulatory. 



Probably the best way to implement incentives by 

 economic means is through the price system. Cur- 

 rently, most water pricing systems are not based on 

 incremental or marginal costs. Some suppliers charge 

 a flat fee regardless of amounts used. Others offer 

 quantity discounts. Prices for irrigation water are 

 often set below the cost of amortizing and operating a 

 deUvery system. In the West, users of water are 

 typically awarded a right to divert and use water free 

 of charge, and they can disregard the value that some 

 other use might yield. In many cases, there are no 

 means for the sale of water rights to bring about a 

 reallocation to higher value uses.'^ 



"National Water Commission. Water policies for the future, 

 final report to the President and Congress. U.S. Gov. Printing 

 Office, Washington, D.C. 259 p. 1973. 



Conservation is the cornerstone of meeting our future demands for 

 water. 



There is strong evidence that metering and pricing 

 have substantial impacts on water use. For example, 

 the introduction of metering reduced water use by 36 

 percent in Boulder, Colo.'^ The National Water Com- 

 mission concluded that systems of pricing and user 

 charges that recover the full cost of water services 

 directly from users will conserve water supphes, 

 discourage premature investment in water develop- 

 ment projects, reduce financial burdens now borne by 

 nonusers and, most importantly, make more efficient 

 use of scarce resources. 



The alternative to creating economic incentives is 

 regulation. Much of the increased use of recycling 

 techniques in manufacturing has resulted from re- 

 quirements to meet environmental regulations. 



If the user were responsible for conserving water 

 through economic incentive or regulation, conserva- 

 tion would be Hkely in several areas. Making irriga- 

 tion more efficient offers the best opportunities for 

 significant water conservation. Considerable savings 

 are possible in reducing losses from water trans- 

 mission. Losses from both seepage and evapotrans- 

 piration are quite high in some areas. Possible solu- 

 tions include lining channels and laterals, converting 

 from surface flooding to trickle irrigation, using 

 underground storage in years of high runoff, and 

 phreatophyte management. The latter may have envi- 

 ronmental effects that must be considered. 



'* Hanke, S. H. Demand for water under dynamic conditions. 

 Water Resources Research, 6 (5): 1253-61. 



309 



