Water Conservation: How is Bloomington Affected

The water issues facing Bloomington are rather unique. With the climate and rainfall that is associated with Southern Indiana, one would not expect Bloomington to be in a situation where they should be at all concerned about their water supply. However, the unique feature of Bloomington’s water distribution is that it all comes from one source, Lake Monroe. Since the city and surrounding area only has one water supply it becomes that much more important to conserve it. In that sense Bloomingtonians should be concerned and informed about their water supply.



Conservation goals from Bloomington’s Water Conservation Plan include increasing customer water use efficiency, developing and promoting a water conservation ethic within the Cit of Bloomington Utility (CBU) and its customers, increasing the water efficiency of CBU supply operations, and establishing regular monitoring and evaluation of the water conservation program.
The recommended tools to use for the city’s conservation program are very familiar, and similar to Roseland’s Policy Instruments, including; economic/financial incentives, policy implementation/regulation, expenditure towards water management and finding an alternate supply, and voluntary instruments of public education.
There are also economic, environmental, and equity issues at play here that Bloomingtonians should be aware about.
Economically, water conservation in the short and long term would serve to keep utilities prices low, for industrial, commercial, and residential uses. In addition to lowering service prices, conserving water would lower household bills as well. Such devices as low flow toilets and showerheads can quickly earn back their cost in savings.
Rainfall in Bloomington this summer neared historic lows, and currently Southern Indiana is in a drought, due in part to these meterological circumstances as well as overconsumption. The continued water use pattern will only add to further lowering the water table. As the volume of the lake decreases, the concentration of pollutants that comes in from ground water become higher, decreasing water quality.
Equity is also an issue here. It is important that clean and affordable water be provided for use for everyone. With a raise in prices and/or decrease in purity, that equity is gone, and those who cannot afford other water sources will adversely affected.