The Business Case for Water Conservation - Waco

Water Conservation Symposium Set for Thursday in Waco

 The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club and a number of other organizations are sponsoring a Brazos Valley Water Conservation Symposium in Waco this Thursday, June 21 to highlight the ways in which the region may meet its water needs through enhanced water conservation. The symposium, subtitled “The Business Case for Water Conservation,” is aimed at water utility professionals and local decision-makers but the general public is welcome to attend. Co-sponsors of the symposium include the national Alliance for Water Efficiency, the Brazos River Authority, the City of Waco, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Texas Water Foundation.

 “Water Conservation is essential to meeting our state's future water needs,” said Jennifer Walker, Water Resources Specialist with the Sierra Club. “Our goal with this symposium is to provide utilities with the tools to plan for and implement water conservation programs in their communities. We have brought together experts in water conservation to share their experience and lessons learned with Brazos Valley area water providers so that they may have the best conservation programs possible.”

 Newly-appointed Commissioner Toby Baker of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) will keynote the symposium. Featured presentations will focus on state water conservation requirements, national efforts to promote conservation, the success of the San Antonio Water System in pursuing conservation while sustaining the financial health of the utility, and the progress made on water efficiency in North Texas through networking by area water providers. The symposium will close with a panel discussion of representatives from medium-sized Texas water utilities about their experiences in implementing water conservation.

The symposium in Waco is similar to events held in the Austin and Houston-Galveston metropolitan areas last year and this spring. Those events sparked enhanced water conservation and drought response actions in those metropolitan areas and have spurred more information exchange and even joint projects among water suppliers in those areas.

The Brazos Valley symposium will be held at the Hilton Waco. Registration is from 9 to 9:30 AM, and the sessions will run from 9:30 AM to 3 PM. Lunch will be provided to attendees. Cost of the symposium is $35. Persons wishing to attend may register online through the Texas Water Foundation at www.texaswater.org. The full agenda for the symposium is available at that web address. For more information, call the Texas office of the Sierra Club in Austin at 512-477-1729.