Wholesale Water Suppliers & Regional Water Authorities

Follow Wholesale Supplier BMP Development Here.

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  • Wholesale BMP 1 Draft 
    ( BMP Establishing Requirements for Water Conservation Plans and Drought Contingency Plans)
  • Wholesale BMP 2 Draft Outline 
    ( Technical Assistance and Outreach)
October 27, 2011 Agenda Minutes
  • Wholesale BMP 1 Draft Outline 
    ( BMP Establishing Requirements for Water Conservation Plans and Drought Contingency Plans)
September 29, 2011 Agenda Minutes
August 4, 2011 Agenda Minutes NA

The Water Conservation Advisory Council (Council) is initiating an effort to invite wholesale or regional water suppliers and interested stakeholders to participate in activities and discussions in the following areas:

  • Development of wholesale/regional water supplier Best Management Practices (BMPs)
  • Evaluating and defining metrics for wholesale water suppliers, particularly gallons per capita per day (gpcd),
  • Identifying case studies and trends in wholesale or regional water conservation efforts
  • Explore and define the appropriate role of the wholesale supplier versus the role of its customers in implementing water conservation measures.

The Council would like to engage the wholesale and regional water suppliers in Texas, particularly those that hold water rights and either provide or regulate water to retail municipal users, agricultural users and industry.  Conservation measures at the wholesale/regional level can be more difficult to implement since by definition, this water use group does not provide water directly to an end user.  The 2007 State Water Plan indicates nearly one quarter of the State’s water supplies by 2060 will be met through water conservation and reuse. Due to the important role of this water user group in the development of new water supplies in the State, it is critical that conservation BMPs and metrics be developed and defined given the importance of conservation as a water supply strategy in the Texas State Water Plan. 

The population in Texas is expected to nearly double between the years 2010 and 2060, growing from 25 million to 46 million. The growth rates, however, will vary considerably across the sixteen regions of the state. While some planning areas will more than double their populations over the planning horizon others will grow only slightly (Figure 1). Some of the fastest growing areas of Texas Include:
Rio Grande Valley – Region M, Austin – Region K,  DFW Metroplex – Region C, Houston – Region H, El Paso – Region E.

Percentage Growth in Population 2010 - 2060 in Regional Water Plans

Percentage Growth in Population 2010-2060 in Regional Water PlansTexas Water Development Board
Water for Texas: Summary of the 2011 Regional Water Plans

Regional Water Planning Groups

Texas Water Development Board
Water for Texas: Summary of the 2011 Regional Water Plans (View full size map)

Although the population is projected to nearly double over 50 years, water demand in Texas is projected to increase by only 22 percent, from approximately 18 million acre‐feet/year of water in 2010 to a projected demand of about 22 million acre‐feet/year in 2060. This increase is primarily due to declining demand for agricultural irrigation water and increased emphasis on municipal water conservation (Figure 2).

Projected Water Demands 2010-2060

Texas Water Development Board
Water for Texas: Summary of the 2011 Regional Water Plans

Evaluation of Water Use Metrics

The Council would like to host discussions with wholesale and regional water supplier stakeholder groups in order to evaluate current metrics for measuring water use. To better understand water use it is necessary to use consistent terminology and methodologies to compute water use data.  Current TCEQ rules require wholesale water suppliers to calculate wholesale gallons per capita daily (GPCD).  However, customers of wholesale suppliers can range from retail water utilities, to industries to golf courses.  There is a need to develop a methodology for calculating wholesale GPCD as well as other possible metrics for wholesale water providers.

One of the goals of this workgroup is to engage various stakeholders in wholesale/regional water supply to help define consistent parameters for wholesale GPCD metrics and encourage wholesale water suppliers to incorporate this metric into water conservation programs. Consistency in the application of the metrics will allow for better understanding and reporting of water use which in turn will provide a measure by which water conservation successes can be understood and shared. The Council would like to invite key stakeholder groups to be involved in the discussion of refining metrics and implementing the use of these metrics in water conservation programs across the State.

Best Management Practices

The Texas Best Management Practices Guide currently includes only one wholesale BMP, entitled “wholesale agency assistance programs”.  The Council has concluded that this BMP needs to be modified and split into several BMPs, and other BMPs could be added.   The Council is currently considering some specific updates and modifications to the BMP Guide that will better provide guidance and information to users. 
Examples of BMPs to be considered include:

  1. Water conservation and drought contingency plan requirements for retail water suppliers
  2. Technical assistance for developing conservation plans and programs
  3. Assisting wholesale/regional provider customers with development of consistent methodologies for accounting and tracking water loss and gallons per capita per day
  4. Assisting wholesale/regional provider customers with using tools to calculate program savings, costs and benefits
  5. Wholesale conservation water rates
  6. Cost-sharing programs with customers, such as utility system leak detection and repair
  7. Coordination with customers to offer conservation incentive activities (e.g. high efficiency toilet distribution)
  8. Water conservation education and outreach

For additional enhancements, the Council would like to supplement the guide with actual case studies. Case studies will serve to identify and document practices used by wholesale or regional water providers to achieve and measure conservation success. These case studies are an example for others to follow and allow other water users to identify possible expertise as a resource for those wishing to implement water conservation practices.

Public Awareness

A public awareness campaign that incorporates media, outreach, and resources for water users is a good first step to achieve a measure of success in water conservation. Lasting water conservation will be achieved through the involvement of every person in Texas by helping individuals understand the importance of reducing water use at home and at work to make the most of this precious resource.  We must encourage water users to take a close look at their water use by conducting water audits and identifying every opportunity to conserve water through increased efficiency and reduced waste. Every stakeholder group is invited to share information across their sector to educate and engage water users in the statewide effort to conserve water for future generations.