Water Authority Customers Reach 150 GPCD in 2011

Responding to rebate programs and public outreach, Water Authority customers have reached the conservation usage goal of 150 gallons per person per day three years ahead of schedule.

The achievement was announced at a March 12 news conference hosted by Water Authority Board Chair Ken Sanchez.

“The Water Authority had hoped to meet the 150-gallon goal by 2014,” Sanchez told reporters.  “By meeting it in 2011, the people of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County have brought us to our goal three years early.”

The 150 gallon-per-person-per-day (GPCD) number is actually five gallons less than the 155 GPCD mandated by the Office of the State Engineer as a condition of using surface water from the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project.  The State Engineer had required that this goal be met by 2024.

“To put the 150 gallons in perspective, our GPCD figure in the mid-1990s was 252 gallons, so we have come a very long way, many years ahead of schedule,” Sanchez said.  “I thank and commend the people of this community for their efforts.  We must now work to maintain these usage levels and look for new and innovative ways to keep saving water for future generations.”

By reaching the 150 GPCD goal three years early, Albuquerque saved an additional 2 billion gallons. 

Total yearly water use has declined from 40.6 billion gallons in the mid-1990s to 34.6 billion gallons in 2011.  That’s a 25-percent decline, even though the population in the Water Authority’s service area grew about 40 percent (from 441,450 to 634,284) during the same period.

Updated Xeriscape Guide Hits Shelves

An updated version of the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority’s popular Xeriscaping:The Complete How-To Guide is now available at various locations throughout the community.
 
Designed to provide a comprehensive list of plants and trees best suited to our climate and soil, the new guide underwent extensive revision by award-winning landscape designer and author Judith Phillips.  Now more regional in scope, the guide offers “how-to” information on a wealth of topics including garden planning, plant selection, efficient irrigation, and the best plants for a particular area of town.

“We tried to make the new edition applicable throughout the middle Rio Grande region, including the East Mountains, and we partnered with Rio Rancho and Bernalillo County on the production,” said Conservation Officer Katherine Yuhas. “The earlier edition was very useful and has been extremely popular with our customers since it was first published in 1994, but it was definitely time for an update.”

Features of the updated guide include:

• Xeriscaping basics
• Tips on drip irrigation systems
• How to harvest rainwater
• How to plant and water for optimal beauty and minimal water use
• A comprehensive list of low-water trees, vines, shrubs, flowering plants, cactus and succulents, groundcovers and ornamental grasses that can thrive in the Albuquerque area

The guide is available while supplies last at local libraries, nurseries, home garden centers, and community centers.  It is also available to homeowner and neighborhood associations by calling 245-3133. This year the City of Rio Rancho and Bernalillo County are also distributing the guide.

More information is available by calling 768-3655.