Dallas' Bachman Water Treatment Plant is drained dry and torn open with renovations -- new filters and holding basins needed to manage nearly a third of the city's daily water demands. But in 1930 when the red and gold brick structure was erected, it was a glowing monument to the Depression Era's droughts -- the facility that would quench the city's thirst for eternity.

"It was built to supply all of Dallas' needs forever," said Bob Johnson, the city's director of water utilities. The dream was short-lived. Today, Dallas is thirstier than ever. And while the city enters its third summer of water-saving regulations, Dallas' municipal water use is nearly twice as high as its peers.

Dallas will have the water it needs to meet projected regional growth through 2025. But with a surging population that has little motivation to conserve, the city is on the hunt for another source of water. Early estimates suggest the Dallas-Fort Worth region will swell to nearly 5.3 million people by 2060.

New resources could easily take a quarter-century to develop, Mr. Johnson said. While city officials are exploring options for the future -- from distant lakes to ground water -- they got off to a slow start with conservation, something many Texas cities have been practicing for decades.

"We're way overdue," City Council member Elba Garcia said. "Other cities are way ahead of us." Mr. Johnson said San Antonio, Austin and Houston all have strong programs in place. But they took years to get there. "Dallas can do it," he said. "It just takes time."

High above Bachman's empty concrete vats, it's easy to imagine curls of cloudy water swirling through churning propellers. Instead, a fine dust covers the giant mixing bowls, pasty and cracked dry. The plant -- idle since November -- is under construction to bring its capacity to 150 million gallons per day, division manager Ken DelRegno explains, leaning precariously over a crusty ledge.

The region's growth, coupled with high water use, made it impossible for Bachman to meet Dallas' daily water demands, which now average about 440 million gallons a day and peak at nearly 800 million gallons per day in the summer. After major droughts in the first half of the 20th century, the creation of five area reservoirs boosted the city's water supply. But demand continues to rise.

In Dallas, the average home, restaurant or business uses 250 gallons of water per day. This municipal water rate is 75 percent higher than the U.S. average -- 143 gallons -- and 56 percent to 89 percent higher than neighboring Houston, San Antonio and Austin. Residences, restaurants and "everyone you'd find in the phone book" fall into the municipal category, said Charles Stringer, assistant director of water utilities.

Agricultural use and industrial use -- which includes hospitals and companies such as Texas Instruments, Coca-Cola and Mary Kay -- are not lumped in with the municipal amount. But Mr. Johnson aid it's risky to compare cities. Rainfall and temperature can alter water use. High commercial activity can cause rates to spike. And a wealthy population uses more water for its wide lawns, lush gardens and backyard pools, he said.

For example, in 2001, Red Oak's daily per capita water use was 151 gallons. Addison's was 409 -- one of the highest in the state. "Compared to any city, Addison has a higher number of restaurants," Mr. Johnson said. Like Addison, Dallas can point to the presence of many restaurants to help explain its high water usage. "We have more restaurants per capita than any city in the country, and that's a good thing for Dallas," Mr. Stringer said.

But environmental and economic factors aside, experts say the lack of an aggressive conservation policy contributes to Dallas' soaring water use. According to the Texas Center for Policy Studies and Environmental Defense, other comparatively sized cities use less water because they have strong penalties for waste and financial incentives to save. San Antonio residents get a $100 credit on their water bill if they buy high-efficiency washing machines. The city also offers each household two free low-water toilets.

Dallas' low rates drive excessive water usage, according to a recent report by the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, which analyzed the efficiency and effectiveness of city services for The Dallas Morning News. "Dallas' consumption has already created an earlier-than-expected need for new water source development -- a significant cost the citizens of Dallas will need to bear through higher taxes," according to the study, titled "Dallas at the Tipping Point: A Road Map for Renewal".

City Council members acknowledge that Dallas' low water fees have encouraged waste. "Obviously, the price is not an impediment," Dr. Garcia said.

But rates are on the rise. This year, they jumped 11.3 percent, bringing the average customer's bill to $39.05 per month. Next year, they'll rise 7.6 percent, Mr. Johnson said. "We want to make sure the rates are such that it discourages waste," Mr. Stringer said. "But we can't price water to the point that certain segments of the population would suffer."

Council member Lois Finkelman said in most cases, the nation's top conservation cities have had more than just financial incentives to turn off the tap. San Antonio as almost dry before its program began. Phoenix has never had abundant water sources. "We probably are wasteful users of water because our water system has been so good and so reliable," Ms. Finkelman said. "Because resources have been abundant, I think we have been very slow to address any number of environmental issues."

Water officials say conservation is a top priority. The city hired the engineering firm Alan Plummer Associates to design a conservation strategic plan for Dallas. The plan will include measures to encourage residents and businesses to save water, as well as an analysis of how the city could reuse treated wastewater for irrigation needs. "We hope to regionalize [conservation] to our customer cities and maybe all of North Texas," Mr. Johnson said. "Dallas would be happy to take the lead."

Dallas is experimenting with reuse in conjunction with Cedar Crest Golf Course. And water officials say such treated wastewater could be used to build wetlands for the future Trinity River Project.

Ms. Finkelman said in the past, the city hasn't done a good job in educating the public about appropriate use of water. From overwatering lawns to leaving the tap running while washing dishes, Dallas has been a culprit. But recently, she said, the city has started taking conservation seriously. "We've done a much better job," she said. "I hope that conservation efforts will be far more successful than what the staff has estimated."

This summer's conservation campaign -- "Save Money, Save Water" -- kicked off Friday [May 28] with airings of two television commercials. In addition to prohibiting lawn-watering from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Sept. 30, billboards and ads will remind Dallas residents of other ways to save water. "The puzzle piece that has been missing here is education," Dr. Garcia said. "This will help."

Since the water department launched its water conservation ordinance in 2001, water use on peak summer days has dropped by 5 percent. Officials say this could be the result of tighter restrictions on sprinkler systems and extra charges for residents using more than 15,000 gallons of water per month. Evenly spaced rainfall over the last three years also could be a factor in reduced water use.

"We think conservation is having an impact, but we can't put a number on it yet," Mr. Johnson said. "It's something we're hoping for in the long haul." But experts say even the strictest of conservation measures wouldn't extend the life of Dallas' water resources by much. If the city cut its use by 15 percent, Mr. Johnson said, it would buy his department just three more years to find a new water source.

"If the population grows as expected, [conservation] will not extend us far," he said. "The water isn't needed for today's customers, but for the customers in the future."

If the city's public education campaigns can change behavior, tax dollars will be saved, Mr. Johnson said. "It's an offense to waste water," he said. "We must do better."

[COMMENT: It appears to me that the only way the profligate people of Dallas are going to get their water usage under control is for them to vastly raise the rates for water. And according to this article, they are already doing this incrementally. Each home and business could be allotted a "reasonable" amount of water at "reasonable" rates; but when that limit is exceeded, then the rates for additional water should skyrocket. Neither they nor the State of Texas have any "moral" right to tell us or anyone else to sacrifice valuable, historical land to provide them water until they have clearly demonstrated that they are conserving as best they can what water they already have, as well as doing something to control their explosive population growth, which is at the heart of the matter. This "controversy" is far from over. It will be fascinating to see how it finally plays out in the coming years. With every passing day without any decision about the future of Dallas' water supply, it pushes Dallas one step closer to the brink of ultimate decision. There will come a point, if decisions keep being postponed, when building these reservoirs will be out of the question, because there simply won't be enough time to build them before Dallas needs the water. So, let's keep stalling them! R.]