I know, I know

Been a while, but this really is cool and not nearly as alarming as the polar bears falling from the sky I showed you the last time I returned.

It's called the W+W or wash basin + water closet. Very European, don't you think?

The Rocha company of Spain is marketing this contraption, albeit with sleek lines.

"A meeting of ways between sophistication and love for the planet," according to the company's rather spare, or maybe sophisticated, Web site. The images are nice but the video, well, you decide.

It filters the water you run in the sink then fills the cistern of the toilet, oops, I meant water closet. Allegedly it saves 25 percent of the water normally used.

But I must say the idea of a toilet facing a big ol' wall of glass overlooking a balcony open to the city is a little disconcerting or maybe it's European.

Get Smarter About Water

Ducks take off from the Taylor Lakes playa unit between Clarendon and Memphis. Courtesy Texas Parks & Wildlife.

The thousands of playa lakes across the plains, including the Panhandle, are scattered wet treasures in need of a little TLC to stay their best, and several groups have gotten together some presentations for landowners on what we’re talking about.

Classes, including lunch, will be from 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 3 in the Swisher Memorial Building at 127 S.W. Second St. in Tulia.

Playas are hangouts for all kinds of birds and provide what little recharge the Ogallala Aquifer gets. So it’s important to keep them healthy and happy.

“Since most playas are found on private land, landowner management is essential to maintaining and preserving playas as a linchpin in our precious water cycle,” said Darryl Birkenfeld, director of Ogallala Commons.

The workshop presentations will touch on depletion rates of the Ogallala, playa conservation programs, and techniques for playa grazing management. And best of all it’s free.

Dave Haukos, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service migratory bird specialist at Texas Tech University will begin with an overview. Kevin Mulligan, a Tech geographer, will talk about saturated thicknesses and depletion rates of the Ogallala. Manuel De Leon, wildlife biologist with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, will cover federal incentive programs like the Wetlands Reserve Program and the Grasslands Conservation Program. He will also discuss grazing practices that enhance playa functioning and increase wildlife habitat, according to a news release.

To reserve a place at this workshop, or for more information, contact Jeff Lewter, NRCS District Conservation in Tulia at 806-995-4126, ext.3.

The workshop is sponsored by Ogallala Commons, with its partners: the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, and Playa Lakes Joint Venture.

graphic from Playa Lake Joint Ventures

How much for a shower?

A recent report says solving water supply issues globally may look similar to solving electricity demands – cut demand.

The report from McKinsey & Co. calls the current situation a water gap since about 1.1 billion people don’t have access to clean water. It says the answer is economics or charging more for water to make people use less.

Enhancing the ability of farmers to grow more "crop per drop" is also thrown out as a viable approach.

That’s a roughly similar approach to the calls for increased efficiency to reduce power usage before trying to produce more sustainable energy as an answer to carbon emissions.

While the report is a little geeky, it poses some interesting questions and posits some solutions that sound like they'd work. Of course, it talks mostly about developing countries where large portions of the population might not be so touchy about being forced to conserve.

So how much would you pay for a shower?

Not so smart?

Those Aggies are spoiling all the fun for water efficiency companies that promote "smart irrigation."

Texas AgriLife Extension researchers tested the controllers that are supposed to give your landscape just what it needs and found them lacking.

"The six devices tested, all currently on the market, applied from about one-third to two-and-a-half times more water that was recommended, said Charles Swanson, AtriLife Extension associate.

Some smart controllers use weather information to adjust the amount of water applied, but some of the manufacturers are tapping into weather info from local airports or weather stations to calculate evaporation and transpiriation (kind of the rate of plant sweating). But calculations based on that info tends to be inaccurate, the Aggies said.

Other controllers that have their own sensors were more accurate and saved water compared to most manual applications. Some cities like Frisco down by Dallas require smart controllers so the Aggies raised the red flag to point out they need to be tested for Texas conditions and to recommend which kinds are best.

"Two of the manufacturers have contacted us on what they can do to make their controller better, Swanson said. "The others - we're still waiting on a response."

These are not the same controllers the city of Amarillo is recommending for its "Every Drop Counts" program. The city is promoting sensors that only measure if it rains or air temperatures are at or below freezing to shut off irrigation systems.

Check out the full report.

Water - Showing the money

The Southern Nevada Water Authority has won its bet that it could reduce the amount of water use with rebates, even in formerly booming Las Vegas.

The authority’s Web site explains its rather extreme Water Smart Landscapes Rebate program.

Basically they pay people to rip out their lawns and replace them with desert landscaping. For every square foot of grass removed, customers get $1.50 up to 5,000 square feet. Every square foot of conversion saves 55 gallons of water a year, according to the authority. The price goes down to $1 per foot after 5,000 square feet with a maximum payment of $300,000 per property.

They offer landscape designs to help out and a list of Water Smart contractors to do the work if you just can’t bear to do the deed.

In the 10 years the program has run, they claim 130 million square feet of grass have bitten the dust, saving billions of gallons of water. Just in Las Vegas, turning yards back into the desert they started as has reduced water use by 18 percent from 2002 to 2007, a boom time of population growth for the city.

So it can be done, but think of all the tears that would be shed for the immaculate fescue and bluegrass lawns in Amarillo turned back into prairie. And do you think the “our-tax-rate-is-so-low” city commission would foot the bill? (The Nevadans have spent $138 million in 10 years). But our commissioners did get a start with the new rebate program for sensors to keep people from watering when the temperature’s near freezing or better yet when it’s raining.

And yet there are others who are adopting programs that reward yard exterminators like Los Angeles, several communities around San Francisco Bay and Mesa, Ariz.

The Nevadans even have an art contest to teach kids what their parents should embrace. Here's one called "Where's my water gone?"

Poor little goat. At least I think it's a goat.