BUILDER CHRIS LUCERO OF LM Inc., in...

BUILDER CHRIS LUCERO OF LM Inc., in Santa Fe NM has experienced firsthand what happens to a builder when novel water becomes a scarce resource.

"A moratorium had been threatened because water was likewise low," Lucero says. "We actually had to walk before the city and plead our case to be able to continue building. It's very bad." Builders from Denver to Charlottesville, Va., describe the same sort of situation. When the water dries up residence building comes under fierce scrutiny.

One reason for that scrutiny, says water conservation person specially versed consultant, and author Amy Vickers, has been