Water Conservation Plans

Water Conservation Annual Reports | FAQs

The purpose of a Water Conservation Plan (WCP) is to ensure water use efficiency within your operation. The WCP should establish specific and quantified 5 and 10-year goals in gallons per capita per day (gpcd) for water use and water loss. The WCP must be revised every 5 years.

The WCP should include a

  • Schedule for achieving those targets and goals,
  • method of tracking progress, and
  • water rate structure which is cost-based and which does not encourage the excessive use of water.

If your entity is required to submit a WCP to the TWDB or the TCEQ, you must also file an annual report to the TWDB on the entity's progress of program implementation for your water conservation plan.

Your WCP should contain long-term elements such as ongoing public education activities; universal metering, water accounting and water savings from reuse/recycling activities, leak detection and repair, and other conservation activities. The effectiveness of your water conservation plan is in the implementation of you water conservation program. Reviewing your program annually will help to evaluate program successes and needs. Targets and goals need to be revised every 5 years.

There are three instances when a water conservation plan and an annual conservation report should be submitted to the TWDB:

  • Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) rules require that entities that receive financial assistance of more than $500,000, develop, submit, and implement a water conservation program for the life of the loan and report annually on the progress of the program. More information can be found at TWDB Rules for Water Conservation Plans (Chapter 363). (The links to these rules change periodically, so please scroll down to Chapter 363, Financial Assistance Programs and look for Sections 363.15 and 363.71 in the document.)
  • In 2007, the 80th Texas Legislature amended Section 13.146 of the Texas Water Code to require each retail public utility that provides potable water service to 3,300 or more connections to submit a water conservation plan to the TWDB. The plans were due on May 1, 2009. The code also requires the plan to be reviewed and updated once every five years thereafter and for the entity to report annually on the progress of program implementation. The Water Conservation Rules for entities with 3,300 or more connections can be found here.
  • Each entity that is required to submit a water conservation plan with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) should also submit a copy of the plan to the TWDB and report annually to the TWDB on the entity's progress in implementing their plan.

How to prepare your water conservation plan

  • How-to guides are available to help you complete a Water Conservation Plan; including how to fill out a Utility Profile and a Drought Contingency Plan. Training on how to fill out Annual Reports for water suppliers and non-water suppliers is also available:
  • The Water Conservation Plan Guidance Checklist (TWDB-1968) is a handy guide to be sure that your water conservation plan is complete and the appropriate areas have been addressed in your water conservation plan.
  • The Utility Profile (TWDB-1965) (some fields will calculate automatically) is an important component of developing your water conservation plan. Reviewing the previous 5 years of water use data will help you in identifying areas of opportunities for water conservation within your system. Remember to enter all water data in gallons.
  • The Drought Contingency Plan is also a component your water conservation plan. A drought plan can be helpful in addressing immediate water needs due to short-term climatic conditions, whereas water conservation can assist in efficiently meeting long-term water demands.
  • Water Conservation Best Management Practices Guide - This guide was created by the Water Conservation Task Force in order to further water conservation efforts throughout the state. The guide identifies the practices, techniques, programs, and technologies that help protect water resources, reduce consumption, reduce waste, improve water use efficiency, and increase recycling and reuse of water to allow for the future availability of water supplies. The guide is structured to deliver useful, proven, and cost-effective conservation measures.
  • Quantifying the Effectiveness of Various Water Conservation Techniques in Texas - This study evaluates the potential effectiveness of 6 residential and commercial water conservation techniques for each regional water planning area. The study calculated and determined estimated costs, potential water savings, identified expected customer participation rates, and projected lifetime for each measure.