Several of Central Texas' biggest water providers are trying to convince their neighbors that conservation can work for smaller communities, too.

The Austin Water Utility , Lower Colorado River Authority and City of Cedar Park are cobbling together an informal regional partnership, patterned after a loose coalition of Dallas suburbs and private water providers that was established in 2006. They say the idea is to share experiences and possibly pool resources to ensure that the Highland Lakes, the region's main source of water, are not overtaxed as the population expands in the coming decades.

"Conservation has got to be part of your plan," Cedar Park City Council Member Mitch Fuller said.

The degree to which other communities believe in such investments is an open question. The region's cities and private water providers are under no obligation to join the partnership, and some may balk at the idea of restricting how residents use water, considering it an infringement on customer entitlements. They may also be leery of the upfront cost of investment or policies that result in selling less of their product.

Even in conservation-minded Austin, there is concern that policies that are too aggressive could starve the city water utility's revenues, forcing it to either raise rates or leave it unable to function.

Drema Gross , the Austin Water Utility's conservation manager, said concerns about short-term revenue loss are legitimate. But she said that if crafted properly, they can result in long-term savings.

For instance, she said, utilities could aggressively look for aging water meters and leaking pipes. Fixing those could make the investment pay off in less than a year, Gross said.

She said the regional partnership is mainly about finding ways to make simple ideas work.

"Not every utility is going to have a budget for rebates or installation" of water-saving equipment, Gross said.

At a March 22 conference in Cedar Park — intended partly to gin up interest in a regional water partnership — speakers noted that recent droughts caused water levels to drop dramatically in the chain of lakes that run through Central Texas.

In 2009, for example, Lake Travis dipped below 40 percent full, and the Lower Colorado River Authority, which oversees the Highland Lakes, asked the numerous communities who rely on it to cut water use.

"After seeing the lakes outside our back door dropping and dropping, our community has become very cognizant of conservation," said Crista Bromley , director of economic development for the City of Burnet, which maintains its own water department. "We know that some communities will be affected differently than others (by dropping lake levels), but they will all be affected."

Burnet now asks its residents to stick to a twice-a-week watering schedule from May through the end of summer, a step that is becoming increasingly common in Central Texas.

Cedar Park, a fast-growing suburb where officials say 40 percent of water use goes toward landscaping, is also paying $250,000 a year for a media campaign encouraging residents to use less water.

"We think it's a good investment," Fuller said. "We have to be responsible stewards of that valuable resource. And when you look at conservation, it helps to be doing it from a regional perspective."