That's why it's important to promote water conservation and to make such a program national in scope, Ron Thompson, general manager of the Washington County Conservancy District, testified before Congress on Tuesday.

And the vehicle for doing that, Thompson said, is a bill sponsored by Rep. Jim Matheson, a Utah Democrat whose district includes many of Utah's desert areas.

Water is vital to civilization, Thompson said. "It is in fact the lubricant that allows our economy to thrive."

Matheson's bill, which got its first hearing before a subpanel of the House Science and Technology Committee, would direct the Environmental Protection Agency to launch a research, development and demonstration program to promote water-use efficiency. It also says the EPA should collect and share information on technology for water-use efficiency.

Thompson says that's key to preventing waste out of a dwindling natural resource. While 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered with water, less than 3 percent is fresh water and less than .007 percent is accessible for human use.

"In the long-term to be successful, you really have to educate," Thompson said. "People won't act until they're educated."

Other panelists spoke of different techniques for saving water, from using rain-water for irrigating to capturing water from oil and gas drilling operations. The latter isn't part of the bill, but Matheson said he would look into it.

"I'm certainly open to suggestions," he said.

In Thompson's case, Washington County is the fastest growing population area in the nation and has more than doubled in size since 1990. But, he says, in the past 11 years, the county's per person water use has decreased by 24 percent and officials are hoping to achieve an additional 25 percent reduction by setting new conservation goals.

Matheson's bill will now be taken up by the full committee.

tburr@sltrib.com