Economist: The price of tap water in our region should be raised drastically. <b> Supplies in local freshwater reservoirs have been declining for years </b> because water is being used faster than it can be replenished. Since the price of tap water has been low, <b> few users have bothered to adopt even easy conservation measures. </b> The two sections in boldface play which of the following roles in the economist's argument? ['The first is an observation for which the second provides an explanation; the second is the main conclusion but not the only conclusion.', 'The first is the only conclusion; the second provides an explanation for the first.', 'The first is a conclusion for which support is provided, and which in turn supports the main conclusion; the second is the main conclusion.', "The first is a premise supporting the argument's main conclusion; so is the second."]