Abstract

During the 1970's much attention was focused on the role of water conservation in the planning and management of urban water supplies, and actions to implement water conservation were taken at all levels of government. Yet many policies and programs appear to rely on conceptions of water conservation which confuse supply and demand oriented strategies or which inefficiently conserve water at the expense of other scarce resources. Through an analysis of the underlying concepts and values, a definition of water conservation is reached which is both precise and practical and which provides a sound basis for the development of water conservation policies. Examples drawn from recent field studies illustrate the application of the definition.