The City's current plan does not meet several elements of the rule. The City annexes additional land area at frequent intervals. Most of the area surrounding the city currently uses ground water. As the city annexes these areas it not only increases its customer base and resulting water demand, but also intensifies the problem of conversion to surface water. The public expects resources to be used efficiently and utility bills to be kept to a minimum.
Conservation is cost-effective.
The City has a conservation program which includes an education program, in-house programs for departments whose budgets are derived through the general fund, a program to require all large contract customers to prepare a conservation plan, and conservation planning. Since almost 60 percent of Houston's water is sold on contract, these customers are a good target for water savings. The City retained Montgomery Watson to assist the City in preparing and implementing a conservation plan. The following is a summary of the findings of the study and recommendations for a comprehensive, cost-effective plan. Over 200 conservation measures were considered.