Officials: Water conservation paying off

Staff Writer

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Water conservation measures are paying off with a steady decrease of water use, according to state and Portales city officials.

Water use has decreased in Portales yearly since 2014, according to a report by the New Mexico Natural Resources Department.

In April 2015, the city pumped about 103 million gallons, compared to about 120 million gallons pumped in April 2014.

Water use is usually the highest in April each year, with nearly 101 million gallons pumped this year — a roughly 2 million gallon decrease from 2015 — according to a report by the NMNRD.

The report shows there is significant fluctuation between March and May, with roughly 88.1 million gallons pumped in March and roughly 80.1 million gallons pumped in May.

The report also shows roughly 96.1 million gallons pumped in July this year compared to 64.4 million pumped last July.

The increase is not surprising, according to Portales Public Works Director John DeSha. He said water use increased this summer because it was hot and dry. July 2015 was cool and rainy.

“A lot of it is seasonal,” said DeSha. “There is a steady climb in the end of about April and May. People start watering in April and then they get their huge water bill.”

This accounts for the fewer gallons pumped in January and February, according to DeSha, with colder weather and the amount of rain Portales may receive.

Despite the monthly fluctuations, water use is looking much better yearly according to DeSha.

“It’s going to trend,” he said. “The trend has been going down, and it has been really good this year.”

He said gallons pumped have decreased overall since 2014 because residents are taking a closer look at their water usage.

“It’s really good news for us,” said DeSha. “It’ll be on par with what we had last year. We’ll probably continue to see it drop.”

Public Works Project Administrator Susan Baysinger said the increased use of low-flow shower heads and toilets help, while restaurants are also looking closely at water use.

Baysinger and DeSha also said the use of new water well meters helps keep better track of water use.

“As time goes on, the conservation efforts get better,” DeSha said.

The following is a list of water gallons pumped monthly in Portales since 2014:

January

• 2014: 84.7 million

• 2015: 51.3 million

• 2016: 58.6 million

February

• 2014: 76.8 million

• 2015: 62.3 million

• 2016: 57.1 million

March

• 2014: 101.1 million

• 2015: 89.6 million

• 2016: 88.1 million

April

• 2014: 119.8 million

• 2015: 103.4 million

• 2016: 100.9 million

May

• 2014: 117.2 million

• 2015: 75.9 million

• 2016: 80 million

June

• 2014: 123.6 million

• 2015: 88.9 million

• 2016: 103.7 million

July

• 2014: 108.2 million

• 2015: 64.4 million

• 2016: 96.1 million

Source: New Mexico Natural Resources Department