2011 Scholarship Essay - 2nd Place by Ashlyn Tubbs of Clarendon

As time goes by, so does the world's water supply. Estimates of water use in 2000 confirmed that each day in America about 408 billion gallons of water were consumed. Conserving water while performing simple tasks such as bathing, watering the lawn and flushing the toilet are vital for our nation to avoid water shortages, which the Environmental Protection Agency expects thirty-six states to experience by 2013. In order to save water, municipal and agricultural water management strategies need to focus on either efficiencies, which is the minimization of the amount of water used for a task or function, or conservation, which is the reduction or elimination of water use. These water management strategies should concentrate on efficiencies rather than conservation because efficiencies guarantee lower water usage by reducing waste.


It is difficult to obtain water conservation without water efficiency. In 1926, Herbert Hoover said, "True conservation of water is not the prevention of its use. Every drop of water that runs to the sea without yielding its full commercial returns to the nation is an economic waste." With water efficiency, people are not required to stop using water, which is a basic necessity in life, to reduce waste. Through products like high-efficiency toilets, center-pivot sprinklers and water-efficient shower heads, people are able to save more money and energy and reduce waste and hassle while continuing routine water usage.


There are a wide variety of water efficient appliances that are capable of saving thousands of gallons each year. A water-efficient shower-head can save up to 750 gallons a month. An Energy Star model clothes washer can conserve up to twenty gallons per load, and also energy. If every American were willing to use these types of appliances, a drastic decrease in water usage could occur. Water efficiency practices can also be employed by simply turning off water while washing hands, hair and dishes until rinsing time, or by planting a desert landscape. Another way to ensure water efficiency would be to enforce leak detection programs that lessen the amount of water, energy and pressure required to deliver the same amount of water to consumers' taps. All of these products and methods adequately prove the effectiveness of water efficiency.


A common perception about farmers is that they use too much water for their crops. About seven to ten million acre-feet of water was used for irrigation per year between 1986 and 2000. Eighty percent of water use in Texas comes from groundwater supplies. and existing ones are expected to decrease by 18% by 2050. In fact, the Ogallala Aquifer, which is a major source of irrigation for the Panhandle/South Plains region, is expected to decrease 24% by 2050. Improved irrigation technology allows farmers to produce commodities with a limited amount of water,which reduces water drawn from these aquifers. Some efficient water management practices for farming include soil moisture monitoring, accurate water measurement, and irrigation flow meters; which can calculate the efficiency of irrigation systems, identify leaks, and use weather conditions and soil moisture levels to determine the precise amount of water necessary. Other water efficiency methods that farmers could use to conserve water is to grade land with laser equipment, retain soil moisture through conservation tillage, and create furrow dikes to conserve rainwater.


Granted, water conservation uses less or no water, while water efficiency better utilizes the volume of water used, but not necessarily uses less water. Yet it takes little or no inconvenience to achieve water efficiency, unlike water conservation. Typically, water conservation takes place during a water shortage, such as a drought. An example of an imposed regulated water conservation is the government minimizing the amount of water used for lawn care and automobile washing, punishing violators with fines. Although water conservation programs and campaigns may inspire or force some to limit water use, the majority of Americans are not willing to alter their lifestyles to conserve water. There are multiple techniques for preserving water, but there are many Americans unconcerned about them. This is why water efficiency is vital. It is an ensured and often inconspicuous way of conserving one of our land's most precious natural resources.

As President Hoover once said, "True conservation of water is not the prevention of its use." The best way to accomplish this is through water efficiency, which will ultimately help our nation avoid water shortages. Water efficiency enables consumers to continue their lifestyles using less water and is a guaranteed way to ensure that less goes down the drain unused.