Tapping the Desert

摘要

Water conservation is second nature for the residents of the arid southwestern community of El Paso, Texas. For El Pasoans, efficient water conservation practices not only reflect wise environmental stewardship but also are required by the city, which in acting aggressively to eliminate -wasteful practices has helped to reduce customer water use from more than 200 gal (757 L) per person per day in 1989 to 153 gal (579 L) in 2002. In addition to reducing demand, local entities are studying means of augmenting the region's limited supply of freshwater―including the use of desalination technology to treat brackish groundwater. The 600,000 residents of El Paso obtain their water from the Rio Grande and from two aquifers―the Hueco Bolson and the Mesilla Bolson. In 2002, 30 percent of El Paso's water came from the Hueco Bolson, 20 percent from the Mesilla Bolson, and 50 percent from the Rio Grande. The Hueco Bolson―the area's principal aquifer, which also supplies water to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico―contains significant pockets of freshwater, but is predominantly brackish.