Education is touted as one of the most effective and inexpensive measures for reducing water consumption for major cities. Coupled with additional water reducing strategies this education can have a significant impact. While, this is a generally accepted principle in the water resources community it has been difficult to accurately quantify the savings. Studies attempting to quantify reductions from these programs have been limited to small samples of neighborhoods. San Antonio is recognized as one of the leading conservation programs in the country at reducing the consumption of its customers. This study focused on over 3,000 customers in San Antonio who were classified as high-end users. The average monthly consumption for this group in June of 2006 exceeded 60,000 gallons per month. Each customer was sent an educational packet by mail with information to conduct an audit of the water use indoors and outdoors. Many of the customers used a free service allowing a trained professional of the San Antonio Water System to conduct their audit at no charge. Three groups were identified (1) those who received a educational packet, (2) those who conducted a home audit and reported they had conducted an audit, (3) those who had a free audit conducted by a trained technician. The water consumption for six months was tracked and compared to the previous year's consumption. Each of the three groups showed savings with those in the third group showing the greatest savings. Lastly, a cost analysis was conducted showing the effectiveness of the program in reducing consumption by cost.

This report examines water supply planning issues in San Antonio, Texas. San Antonio is unique among large cities in the United States in that it relies almost exclusively on a single source, the Edwards Aquifer, for its water supply. Because San Antonio’s water demand is projected to outgrow the Aquifer’s capacity, the city must consider other options to extend and augment its current water supply. After describing the hydrogeology and water supply history of San Antonio, this report explains the multitiered water planning structure and current and future water needs for the city. It then studies and evaluates three short-to-mid term water supply options. By continuing to develop its already successful water conservation programs and water reclamation system, San Antonio can delay the need for more costly and environmentally impactful water supply options down the road, and wisely manage the resources it already draws from. / text