• Overview
• Five Year Plan
• Projects Underway
• New Projects for 2009
• Leadership
• Annual Report

Beginning its first full funding year, the WMG is initiating projects in each of its three areas of emphasis that will: 1) improve its understanding of landscape irrigation, one of the region’s largest seasonal uses of water, 2) initiate systems to better coordinate and improve member communications with customers, state regulators, and other stakeholders, 3) develop and disseminate information to help the region better understand the importance of water and water use today and in the future, and 4) further explore feasible approaches to extend the availabity of water from the Catawba-Wateree River.

Lakefront Smart Irrigation Study: To explore opportunities to improve water consumption trends, the WMG will evaluate the effectiveness of “smart” irrigation controllers in improving landscape watering efficiency. Smart controllers will use soil moisture content and other parameters to decide when and how much irrigation water is needed. The study will involve selected property owners that withdraw water directly from the lakes for landscape irrigation.

WMG Web Site: The WMG will take over and expand www.saveyourwater.org to house resources on conservation and wise water use, to better coordinate and manage water supply and use among WMG members, and to facilitate efficient reporting, monitoring and measurement.

Public Information on Wise Water Use: The WMG will kick-off what promises to be a long-running campaign to improve awareness, understanding, and planning of the region’s water use.

Approaches to Extend Safe Yield: The WMG will begin its investigation of approaches to extend the safe yield of the system such as optimizing locations of intakes and returns or adjustment in systems operational protocols. Because the result could provide guidance for water suppliers all over the country, the WMG will apply for grants to cost-share its funding.