2017 NGWS Schedule

Sunday, June 4

Monday, June 5

Tuesday, June 6

Drip irrigation is a simple way of watering, requiring few tools and skills. With a few basic concepts, anyone can install a simple system for the health and well-being of their garden. It is as simple as attaching a garden hose to a faucet, but it may require a little sunscreen.

They will discuss how to scope and measure the individual and cumulative potential for geographically significant conservation projects. Based on the crucial “time value” of water in prioritized California fragile steelhead habitats, new projects are assessed and rated by their local instream flow benefits such as: on site recycled water opportunities, ornamental and agricultural irrigation best management strategies, Low Impact Development (LID) storm water infiltration, Water Conservation Management Best Management Practices (BMP) employment, and voluntary water right transactions such as acquisition, lease, and donations. Panelists will link the opportunity to connect onsite water savings to fishery benefits.

1. The Bureau of Reclamation designing and constructing a new regional water system
2. Santa Fe County and 4 Pueblos actively involved in managing a new regional water authority
3. The State managing water measurement, permitting and water use
4. Individuals, acequias and small water utilities trying to make sense of the whole rather complicated program.

This presentation will provide some observations on how federal/pueblo/state and local governments manage groundwater reductions to meet surface water increases and sustainability goals. What happens when those goals meet confounding and sometimes contradictory government policies and the difficulties of a complex natural system and a stakeholder public that has never experienced regulation like this for an essential utility service?

This session will explore how land use and water policies have evolved over the last 5 years from recent legislation, research, training and implementation of strategies for Colorado’s Water Plan.

Doug Bennett, Conservation Manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority will explain how his water-challenged city was able to meet the needs of more than a half million new residents through collaboration with homebuilders. The Las Vegas approach included both new development codes, as well as adoption of a voluntary labeling program for water-efficient homes.

Since 2003, per capita water use in the Las Vegas region has declined 37%, and builders have created more than 10,000 Water Smart Homes. Bennett will explain how the development community and water officials found common ground to keep the community thriving through more than 15 years of drought.

Throughout the United States rising population demand is using freshwater supplies faster than can be replenished resulting in short-term deficits and long-term unreliability. Neal will discuss how climatic variation and other variables make water quality and storage more challenging. The solution is to grow the supply pie in a sustainable way to keep pace with demand while also managing water demand to be as efficient as technically possible. People are looking to decentralized, non-potable systems to supplement municipal water, and reduce the need for potable water for non-potable purposes.

The industry is starting to see the next generation of water efficiency programs, with the emergence of performance-based approaches. The Water Efficiency Rating Score (WERS)® and Build Green New Mexico’ Indoor Water Efficiency Rating (WEiR) are both in the marketplace today. Such programs allow freedom of design and product choice, while still reaching water efficiency goals and targets.

As the building industry starts to become more aware of these innovative programs, they will look to the water efficiency industry for information and guidance. The industry needs to understand these two common yet different approaches to residential water efficiency in order to be effective in enabling the industry to grow despite the challenges of water conservation.

This session on water conservation program success will cover invaluable lessons learned in the following areas:

–        Suggestions on how to design water conservation programs for your service area.

–        Four questions to address before creating programs.

–        How successes can translate to other areas.