Inconsistencies in Texas

One of my favorite things to complain about is that cities don't realize how much cheaper it is conserve and retrofit rather than find new water (i.e. build a pipeline). It may seem expensive to pay residents to xeriscape and install low-flow toilets, but that's nothing compared to the task of securing more water, in a more water-stressed economy in the future, because you didn't give people incentives to conserve. It's like eating a diet of fast food instead of whole vegetables and grains because they are more expensive in the short term - heart disease and obesity will end up costing you a lot more.

Photo credit: http://ow.ly/mfdxI

So it was refreshing to see the progress San Antonio has made, according to a piece by Sadhbh Walshe in The Guardian Professional. The city apparently realized the wisdom launching a city-wide toilet replacement program, installing water-efficient appliances in order to avoid building another pipeline further down the road. However, on the whole, Texas is still trying to win with a decidedly backward attitude about water - taking other states to court to fight over dwindling supplies, rather than looking at consumption within its borders.