NewsLeak

Officials in League City, Texas, were granted more than $650,000 from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for the construction of a park aimed to teach residents various water conservation methods.

Through water usage lessons in community gardens, native plant displays and a play area for children and an outdoor classroom, the 3-acre park will reportedly educate citizens the importance of water conservation, the Galveston County Daily News reports.

Texas Coastal Watershed Program environmental specialists will reportedly test storm water that passes through natural purification systems at the park, which should reduce chemicals in the water, according to the paper.

The news source states the park, which should begin construction in 4 to 6 months, will have the most water conservation and natural storm water treatment features of all parks in Texas.

In addition to the grant, League City received more attention for its water. Texas Independence Water from League City recently won the award for best purified water at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition in West Virginia.

California's water conservation efforts need to be increased and water management needs to be overhauled to modern standards, according to a new study by a few state universities.

According to the University of California at Davis, one of the authors of the report, California's water system lags behind many other states, both economically and environmentally. The study reportedly discusses how the state can improve engineering at water treatment plants, as well as how lawmakers can help create a larger water supply while maintaining healthy ecosystems.

"California must take bold steps to make water management more effective environmentally and economically," Jay Lund, a UC Davis professor of environmental engineering and co-author of the study, said. "Our water policies were made for historical problems and have not kept up with changes in our society and economy, or tremendous declines in native fish species. We continue to fall behind."

Ellen Hanak, an economist at the Public Policy Institute of California who co-authored the report, told Science Magazine that the state has run out of cheap, new water resources.

City council members in St. Helena, California, have decided to raise water rates this year to help fund water conservation projects amid the state's continued water drought concerns.

The new water rates will reportedly begin in July, while future water and sewer rate increases are scheduled for 2013. According to the St. Helena Star, the water rates set for January 2013 will be 70 percent higher than they are in 2011.

Members of the city council have expressed a need to St. Helena residents for higher water revenues to help begin long-gestating water conservation projects, as well as the purchase of reserve water from the city of Napa.

"We need a more reliable, steady income," city council member Peter White told the newspaper. "It is a dilemma that takes away some of the incentive for conservation."

One factor that surrounding towns and communities of San Diego have taken into consideration during water rate jumps is the terrain of the area's land. While some communities use water more than others, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports a few neighboring towns have water rates which differ by as much as 70 percent.