Evan Canfield is a Tucson hydrologist and engineer and a member of the city's Citizens Water Advisory Committee.

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The Star's recent editorial recommending that the mayor and City Council reject the proposed Conserve to Enhance program ("Conservation program overly convoluted," July 18) unfairly characterized the concept as too complex.

The basic idea of Conserve to Enhance is that people who conserve be allowed to commit water and money for riparian restoration. In effect, it allows a resident an opportunity to direct the water they save to the environment instead of growth.

No doubt, the Conserve to Enhance concept will have to be tailored to Tucson before it can be seriously considered. However, Conserve to Enhance and other programs that reward existing residents for water conservation deserve continued consideration.

Tucsonans recognize that potable water is a limited resource and developers have myriad ways to find water to build more houses. For example, a developer can join the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District, which allows builders to pump groundwater where they are and replenish it with Central Arizona Project water elsewhere in the aquifer.

In essence, the district allows people to drink water infiltrated into the aquifer thousands of years ago with the promise that it will be replenished with water that has not been secured and is not physically available at the point of use. Convoluted indeed.

Similar creative efforts should be bestowed on the needs of the environment and residents. Keeping water in the aquifer and using water to grow trees and restore riparian habitat benefits the environment and people who live here.

Increasing temperatures come as a direct consequence of growth as asphalt and concrete emanate heat collected during the day. The average nighttime air temperature has increased 10 degrees since 1900. Trees and riparian vegetation are needed to help cool Tucson.

Tucson Water's effort to reduce reliance on the central well field has been good for residents. Recovery of the well field has reduced the subsidence problems that have played havoc on infrastructure. For this reason alone, water is needed in the aquifer. In some areas, recovering water tables may allow deep-rooted riparian species an opportunity to return. More likely, effort will be required to restore riparian habitat and grow trees. These efforts require water and money. There are already local riparian enhancement projects that do not have sufficient funding to purchase water.

Unfortunately, existing water regulations support a free-market system in which environmental needs are poorly represented. The system is less conducive to the needs of residents, which is why innovative solutions such as Conserve to Enhance should be considered by the mayor and City Council.

Some Tucson Water staff members worry that accounting for conserved water would be an onerous task. However, it need not be so complicated.

Sharon Megdal, director of the University of Arizona's Water Resources Research Center and an originator of the Conserve to Enhance concept, said the method for determining baseline water use could be simplified. For example, low-water-use customers, such as those in Tucson Water's first block rate, could be eligible for the program.

Implementing a Conserve to Enhance program could be done fairly and simply, and it needs to be considered by Tucson Water and our elected officials.