Leaders Across Southwest Deliberate Drought Policy
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From nuclear power to drip irrigated yards, millions of gallons of water are wasted through old technologies. Leaders across the southwest are trying change that.
Recently, representatives from the public, private and non-profit sectors came together to discuss persistent drought in the southwest. The focus was on impacts to agricultural, industrial and energy production.
The forum was held by the Western Governor’s Association, a bipartisan group that assembles regional experts and leaders to discuss drought policy and management. Topics ranged from water shortages to innovative solutions, like updating neglected irrigation systems.
“We waste a million gallons a year per irrigated acre, and the biggest offender is drip irrigation," said irrigation consultant Nate Hines. He described an example of the common problem.
“So next time you drive past Sky Harbor, past all of the brown rock that's there, you’ll see these little reflective circles with no plants next to them," Hines said. "There’s hundreds of them.”
Hines emphasized that much of that waste can be resolved through smarter planning and design. Cheryl Lombard of The Nature Conservancy mentioned the need to entice innovators as water demand increases.
“Incentivising new technology can help buy us time for the large infrastructure that we may need to augment our supplies,” Lombard said.
With an example of that new technology, APS representatives said the recent addition of 149 solar megawatts can save up to 147 million gallons of water annually by not having to cool coal and nuclear power generation.
