In the early 2000s, when the Region of Waterloo looked at its future water needs, it envisioned a pipeline carrying water directly from the Great Lakes to the region.

That pipeline was forecast to be necessary by 2035.

Since then, due to conservation efforts, the timeline has been pushed back to some point after 2050.

“We are sustainable with the systems we have,” said Nancy Kodousek, the region’s director of water services.

But while current consumption might be sustainable, water authorities still want to see consumption decreased.

Currently, the average person in Waterloo Region uses about 200 litres of water per day.

Over the next 10 years, the region hopes to cut that figured by 25 to 30 per cent.

Some things people can do to get their own water consumption levels down, Kodousek said, include installing high-efficiency appliances, only running dishwashers when full and keeping toilets in good repair.

One of the biggest water use culprits of all, though, isn’t found inside homes so much as outside them.

Lawn-watering accounts for a significant portion of residential water use.

Since 2005, homes hooked up to the region’s water system have been limited to watering their lawns one day per week, based on house numbers.

Earlier this week, the Grand River Conservation Authority issued a plea for every person and business in the watershed to cut consumption by 10 per cent.

The warning came following a dry spring, during which parts of the watershed received up to 60 per cent less rain than normal.

“When we have that kind of dry weather, water consumption starts to rise,” GRCA spokesperson Dave Schultz said Friday.

Businesses that use large amounts of water – aggregate pits, golf courses and bottling operations, to name three – can take fairly drastic actions to reduce their consumption.

While individual residents can’t match that scale, Schultz says the best thing they can do is stick to those lawn-watering rules.

“If people can just respect their municipal drinking water bylaws, they’re not going to put as much strain on the system,” he said.