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The U.S. Bureau
of Reclamation has a major responsibility, in partnership with water users,
States, and other interested parties, to help improve water resource management
and the efficiency of water use in the western United States. With
passage of the Reclamation
Act of 1902 , Reclamation's original challenge was to promote the
settlement of the West by providing the necessary infrastructure for the
irrigation of small family farms. Extensive tracts of arid and semi-arid
lands have become some of the most productive agricultural area and urban
centers in the world. And, in addition to irrigation, Reclamation
projects provide water for homes and industries, recreation, fish and
wildlife, power generation, and flood control. Now, after more that
100 years, Reclamation's primary role has evolved from one of water resource
development to one of water resource management. More efficient
water use is a key component of Reclamation's water resource management
strategy.
Reclamation
recognizes that no single
entity, acting independentlycan
meet the challenge
of improving the efficiency
of water use and management throughout the western States. Consequently,
a key to meeting this challenge will be the partnerships formed between
Reclamation and water users, other Federal and State agencies, educational
and research institutions, and other interested parties.
Developing a thorough water conservation plan is an opportunity for every water user to identify water management problems, evaluate options, highlight accomplishments, and plan for improvements.
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Conservation
measures can:
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Opportunities for water management and efficiency improvements vary greatly from system to system. Many factors can contribute to whether or not specific water conservation measures may be locally effective or feasible. Every aspect of our lives depends in some way upon water. From all facets of food production, to domestic and industrial usage, to environmental needs, water is a critical common denominator. In the arid western United States, this precious resource is especially valuable because it is so scarce. |
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Most Western lands typically receive far less annual precipitation than that received by Eastern and Southern states. Early Western settlers quickly discovered that survival in this area was extremely difficult because rainfall was neither plentiful nor reliable. The transformation of this dry, barren desert region into productive farmland, and thriving towns and cities began with the construction of facilities to store and transport water. Today, the many benefits
of controlling water in this way are evident in the extensive development
that has taken place throughout the West over the past 100 years.
Huge cities have been created and millions of people live, work,
and recreate in this desert region. But, as the West continues
to grow, we must face the problem of continually increasing demands
on a finite supply of water. This includes human population
needs and the needs of the environment. |
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Unless highly efficient water usage practices can be developed and maintained in the West, it will not be possible to provide the water needed to sustain western ecosystems as well as economic and population growth. So how will these increasing and diverse needs be met? By each one of us doing what we can to use water wisely. The responsibility to protect and conserve this vital resource to ensure that a sufficient water supply will continue to exist rests with us all. | |
| As the agency created to design and build many of this nation's water projects, and as the largest water wholesaler in the country, water conservation is one of the Bureau of Reclamation's top priorities. Reclamation has undertaken a series of conservation initiatives designed to stretch our water supply to meet additional needs. We believe with the help of water users throughout the West, more efficient water use by everyone will help meet much of the increasing demand for water. In addition, these efforts will result in several other benefits including: reduced costs to the federal government and water users; improved reliability of existing water supplies; reduced drought impacts; improved and protected surface and groundwater quality through the reduction of non-point and point sources of pollution; and energy conservation. |  |
