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Show Water conservation a key How do you jazz up a worn out song? Thats a tough ques- in coming public to become numb to the near constant urging to tion for Utahs water con- save and conserve. servation community. Since The second annual confer1999, Utah has suffered under ence of the Utah Water Conone of the worst droughts in servation Forum was recently recent decades. That, com- held in Springville. And atbined with a growing populatendees from throughout the tion and increased delivery of state had but one goal; how to limited water to endangered keep the publics ear without species, has made the call to turning it deaf. conserve water progressively Youll see huge responses louder and more urgent. when people are implementing At the same time however, water conservation efforts, those experts dont want the says Utahs Water Conserva THE SAN JUAN RECORD Wednesday. March months, years tion Coordinator Molly Waters, because they're usually implemented in times of crisis when people can see marked results of less water. Waters was one of two driving forces behind the Springville conference. She says only a small percentage of the effort to conserve turns into a long term habit or ethic, and that ethic is harder for people to retain when the crisis is over. Thats probably why the two day gathering focused on is sues like how to better use the media, how to teach water con- servation, water pricing and dealing with disgruntled customers. The forum is clearly focused on its endgame and how to keep interest up when politicians and scientists are making hopeful predictions of the droughts demise. Most of the forums energy to spread that message comes from networking, says Kelly Kopp. Shes the Water Conservation Coordinator for Utah 17, 2001 - I'ae " State University Extension and was one of the keynote speakers for the event. We wanted to provide some opportunity to people in the state, particularly those working in municipalities and cities and public utilities, a resource for water conservation ideas and networking. Kopp says many municipalities are beginning to hire people to manage water conservation and the conference is the venue to get those folks together. The conference was also a venue for vendors who play an important role in the implementation of new technology. Jamie Tsandes is a Landscape Architect for PSOMAS, an engineering company that specializes in water systems. Tsandes had her own take on the importance of the conference. I want to be a part of what the board does, but I also want to be a voice. Utah is pretty conservative in natural resource and water conservation methodology, she says. Id ike to see more consultants coming to conferences like this. I know its important for a lot of operators installing and 1 maintaining these systems. I think its important that consultants who actually design them be here, and consult with these agencies not only here but on future projects. Another aspect of advocacy for the forum is its board. This years conference was timed to coincide with the forums membership meeting and annual elections, says Waters. Weve had a lot of crossover between the (coordinators and the hoard Then an four new hoard members and three returning hoard members, she says. Plus, the new blood helps provide a shot in the arm to the forum and its mission. Finally, the conference was a vehicle for at least one re. searcher to evaluate water conservation efforts throughout the southwest. Rebecca Gallup, a Research Specialist for the Water Conservation Alliance in Southern Arizona, sat in the hack of the room taking notes. She found the conference dovetailed with work she's doing on the effectiveness of water conservation proCould you use a free getaway? 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ZIONS BANK Member FDIC www.zionsb3iik.com til ' NLfP " ,2., grams in general. Its a large scale evaluation study of water conservation programs. So, were looking at programs in place and trying to Find the actual water savings from those programs as well as do a cost benefit analysis. Were trying to figure out what works and what doesnt, she says, and get that to water conservation coordinators so they can make sound decisions in the future. This second conference was much more comprehensive than last years, says Bureau Joe Reclamations of WThittaker. He and Waters organized this years event. And like her, he agrees that trying to get the varied interests to see v gT - - Some restrictions apply. See branch for details. tFree for one year. eye-to-ey- e is, challeng- ing. And everyone agrees that the challenge will grow as the crisis seems to shrink. |