More than 10 million new residents have popped up in the West since 1990, and each of them is bathing, drinking, running dishwashers, uncoiling garden hoses and feeding their drains. However, much of the region, and the Four Corners in particular, is beginning to pay much closer attention to water conservation, according to a study by the Pacific Institute.

• In Colorado, numerous water agencies have seen declines in per capita usage, including Durango (24 percent), Greeley (42 percent); Fort Collins (33 percent); and Denver (22 percent). However, the gains have not offset the addition of millions of new taps, and overall water usage has still increased by 100,000 acre-feet since 1990.
• Arizona has witnessed some of the fastest population growth in the country and water deliveries increased by 346,000 acre-feet in the last 20 years. However, efficiency measures have every Arizona water agency noting major declines in per capita use. For example, Phoenix’s per capita use has dropped by 30 percent in the last two decades.
• In New Mexico, Albuquerque is a bright spot for water conservation. The Duke City experienced a 34 percent reduction in per capita use and delivered 19,000 fewer acre-feet in 2008 than 1990, in spite of 27 percent population growth.
• In Utah, population has boomed jumping by 50 percent since 1990. However, water deliveries have only increased by 8.5 percent thanks to conservation measures. Nonetheless, more work is needed in the Beehive State. Many cities in Utah continue to have per capita water delivery rates at the high end of the spectrum and have significant room for efficiency improvements.

– Will Sands