AWWA JAW24260

Mandatory restrictions on outdoor water use and water rationing were implemented in stages in Corpus Christi, Texas, during the course of a regional drought lasting through most of 1984. This article gives a methodology for separating the effects of conservation on daily water use from concurrent effects of weather and seasonal variation, enabling a quantitative estimate of the conservation restrictions to be made. It is shown that the restrictions reduced water use by an average of 29 mgd, compared with a peak water-use of about 100 mgd. Subsequent implementation of more stringent restrictions resulted in little additional savings because water use had already decreased to winter base levels. It is also shown that the residual effects of conservation extended through 1985, even after the restrictions were lifted. Includes 10 references, tables, figures.