Comment by PaulDavisThe1st
6 hours ago
As a resident of rural New Mexico, and board member of our local village water association, I'ev thought about and spoken about this issue a lot. Most of the time, I'm saying the same as you.
However ... when you move from the biggest picture view (in this case either state or regional water use patterns) and instead focus on a smaller, local one (e.g. the well(s) that tap into a single aquifer for all the 250 people who live here), a different story emerges.
The story: the low-water appliances may make no difference at the state/regional level, but they may keep our aquifer within its normal range during a 23 year and counting drought. That is, while our residential water usage is swamped by the ranches down the road growing alfalfa for their animals, it is still relevant to the state of our aquifer, and reducing that usage by 30-50% (as has been the case over the last 30 years or so) may play a significant role in not overdrawing the aquifer.
I assumed it would go without saying that a general statement about agricultural water usage would not apply to a desert community of 250 people experiencing a 23 year drought.