Environmental Issues

For the City of Houston, proper management and conservation of water is important since water is a natural resource. Conserving water is a good way to save money on water bills as well as to protect the environment. For this reason, the City of Houston implemented water conservation programs to help minimize the city s water expenses and educate the public about the ways to conserve water.

Some of water conservation programs of Houston include education, in-house, and contract customers program. Education programs include outreach initiatives. In-house programs include an analysis of water use and repair of leaks for city fountain and pools. The contract customers program was developed to eliminate unnecessary water requirements and to give additional penalties for excessive water consumption. Since the implementation of the programs, Houston s water consumption as well as its wastewater bills dramatically decreased (City of Houston Water Conservation Branch, n.d.).

In addition, the city also built a museum that educates the children regarding water conservation. The WaterWorks Education Center  Museum, said to open in early 2010, is a state-of-the-art water museum and education center that is dedicated to the promotion of water education and conservation for the benefit of the citizens of Houston (City of Houston, 2010).

Since storm water is also essential, Houston developed the Storm Water Management Program (SWMP), the goal of which is to improve the various storm water drainages within the city. This program aims to support the city by preserving, managing, and keeping the city s storm water drainages clean at all times (SWMP, n.d.).

Water is important in Houston thus, the government and its residents work hand-in-hand to conserve this scarce natural resource.