Even in the midst of a particularly rainy year, West Texans know the next drought may be just around the corner, and conservation is always the best policy.

Just before the big rains of late September and October, when the city was still 1-inch below the normal rainfall amount for the year, the San Angelo City Council unanimously voted in executive session to move forward with a plan to obtain permits for an indirect potable reuse (IPR) system expected to save 7.5 million gallons of water every day in the future.

Writing in early October, San Angelo Mayor Brenda Gunter said “after years of study that spanned dozens of options, the City’s elected officials and its management are resolute in our pursuit of what we’re calling the Concho River Water Project.