Hydroponics are the future with only 1% of all Earth's water supply being clean to drinking these systems will be significant in reduce the usage of water (compared to traditional soil methods of growing plants) as all water is recycled through the system and it is not necessary to discard or change any water (under normal conditions). It has been reported on various forums and websites that water usage is around 90% lower then traditional soil gardening. However i have not came across any clinical trials or research documentation of experiments/monitoring if anybody has this info shot me a link.
My Aquaponics project is still back bench!
Keep up the important work! And keep us posted!