Water Conservation Still Necessary

Richard Piatt ReportingThere aren't too many of us thinking about water conservation right now, but you can count on hearing about conserving water again this year.

We all admit it's hard to relate to water worries this year. But water conservation isn't about this weather, this season, this year -- it's about the long run.

Your yard looks green, as healthy as it ever has. Flowers are thriving. And the weather is enough to make someone from Seattle feel homesick. So, for some, the words 'water conservation' aren't quite soaking in yet.

Mike Clayton, Homeowner: "We have to pump out the water from our back yard so it doesn't get flooded. So it's really hard to think about those types of things."

But people are thinking about conservation, even in the rain. In a garden of drought-tolerant plants, water conservation expert Stephanie Duer says the reason is simple.

Stephanie Duer, Water Conservation Coordinator: "There are going to be many more people here in the future, there is no new water. So we have to learn to live within our means."

In a couple months we might look back fondly at these cool, wet days where the sprinklers sit dormant. In the withering heat, two months from now, it'll be tempting to take water for granted. There will be chronic water-wasters, people willing to foot the bill for all that sprinkling.

But more and more people are in touch with reality these days, that Utah is a desert state. Those who like to garden, for example, know that wastefulness never pays off.

Roxie Winn, Homeowner: "No, I think that's a habit. Besides that, I think it's costly to water."

Mary Ellen Rich, Homeowner: "I think they get comfortable with the plenty, and don't think too much when it's hot and dry, then they worry."

Here's another dose of reality: even with all the water, even the flooding that's going on, summer water rates will kick in in a few weeks and the call for water conservation will go along with it.