Water scarcity and stress are not new phenomena for many regions around the world. Problems are exacerbated by growing populations, changing weather patterns and reduced water supplies, associated with longer run climatic change. To help mitigate the problems, consumer conservation programs, including education programs directed at outdoor water use, have been created. We analyze the impact of one such program - the “WaterSmart” workshop offered by the largest water utility in New Mexico located in the southwestern United States. The utility's objective was for residential customers to water to their landscape needs. We find the program's impact varied by time, weather, and customer type. The program reduced average household water use, with impacts decaying quickly up to a two-month lag. Further, while water use declined under mild drought conditions, it increased during extreme drought. Finally, water use always increased for low-usage households. These findings suggest that the program increased residential outdoor water use efficiency, while the conservation impact depended on weather conditions and household characteristics. This suggests that water shortages in the short run could be ameliorated or exacerbated, depending on conditions, as the trade-offs between efficient maintenance of urban vegetation and water saving are considered.

在世界许多地区，缺水和压力不是新现象。随着人口的增长，天气模式的变化和供水量的减少，与长期的气候变化相关的问题更加恶化。为了帮助减轻这些问题，已经制定了消费者保护计划，包括针对室外用水的教育计划。我们分析了这样一个计划的影响-美国西南部新墨西哥州最大的水务公司提供的“ WaterSmart”研讨会。该公用事业公司的目标是使住宅用户能够满足其景观需求。我们发现该计划的影响因时间，天气和客户类型而异。该计划减少了家庭的平均用水量，影响迅速衰减到两个月的滞后。进一步，在温和的干旱条件下，用水量下降了，而在极端干旱条件下则增加了。最后，低用量家庭的用水总是在增加。这些发现表明，该计划提高了居民的室外用水效率，而保护的影响取决于天气条件和家庭特征。这表明，根据条件，短期内的水资源短缺状况可以得到缓解或加剧，因为考虑了城市植被的有效维护与节水之间的权衡。