Water conservation

One fundamental conservation goal is he prevalence of residential varies significantly worldwide. Recent studies have estimated that water supplies are metered in less than 30% of UK householdsand about 61% of urban Canadian homes (as of 2001) Although individual water meters have often been considered impractical in homes with private wells or in multifamily buildings, the U.S. estimates that metering alone can reduce consumption by 20 to 40 percent.

In addition to raising consumer awareness of their water use, metering is also an important way to identify and localize Some researchers have suggested that water conservation efforts should be primarily directed at farmers, in light of the fact that crop ccounts for 70% of the world's fresh water use.

 The agricultural sector of most countries is important both economically and politically, and water subsidies are common. Conservation advocates have urged removal of all subsidies to force to grow more water-efficient crops and adopt less wasteful techniques

As changing irrigation systems can be a costly undertaking, conservation efforts often concentrate on maximizing the efficiency of the existing system. This may include chiseling compacted soils, creating furrow dikes to prevent runoff, and using soil moisture and rainfall sensors to optimize irrigation schedules. Usually large gains in efficiency are possible though measurement and more effective management of the existing irrigation system.