Have you ever turned on the tap in your home and wondered, “Where does this water come from?”
That water takes a long journey from Lake Mead on the Colorado River to reach your home. It begins with rainfall or snow in the mountains, trickling down to streams, to Lake Powell and Lake Mead, and through hundreds of miles of canals. When it reaches the EPCOR system, it is filtered and tested before finishing its final miles to your home.
New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, California, and Nevada signed the Colorado River Compact in 1922. This paved the way for the construction of Hoover Dam that created Lake Mead and Glen Canyon Dam that created Lake Powell.
Today, the Colorado River Basin is facing a water supply crisis. It began with flawed projections that overestimated the actual river flow and underestimated the water demand that was to come. After decades of growing demand, relentless shortage, and climate change, both reservoirs are now more than half empty.
Water conservation measures are the way forward for all the states that rely on this water source. Officials are meeting to discuss those measures going into 2022.
Meanwhile, we all know that we live in a dry desert. Water conservation should be a way of life for us with or without the water drama along the Colorado River. We can all begin to do our part today to reduce the demand we place on this stressed system.
On average, every person uses 100 gallons of water per day at home. That means a family of 4 averages 146,000 gallons each year. What can you do to lower that number?
Install Water-saving Aerators on All Faucets
This gives the feeling of having the faucet turned on full blast while lowering the amount of water that comes out.
Embrace a Native Desert Landscape
One drip per second adds up to 5 gallons a day.
Embrace a Native Desert Landscape
Say goodbye to the lawn and water-loving plants and say hello to low-water, low-maintenance landscaping.
Run Full Loads in the Wash Machine and Dishwasher
This can save up to 1,000 gallons a month.
Keep Your Shower Under 5 Minutes
This action alone can save 1,000 gallons per month for each person in your home!
