California Approves Mandatory Water Cutbacks To Combat Drought

[still_one]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California water regulators adopted sweeping, unprecedented restrictions Tuesday on how people, governments and businesses can use water amid the state's ongoing drought.

The State Water Resources Control Board approved rules that force cities to limit watering on public property, encourage homeowners to let their lawns die and impose mandatory water-savings targets for the hundreds of local agencies and cities that supply water to California customers.

Gov. Jerry Brown had pushed for the more stringent regulations, arguing that voluntary conservation efforts have so far not yielded the water savings needed amid a four-year drought. He ordered water agencies to cut overall water use by 25 percent compared with 2013, the year before he declared a drought emergency.

"It is better to prepare now than face much more painful cuts should it not rain in the fall," board Chairwoman Felicia Marcus said Tuesday as the board voted 5-0 to approve the new rules.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/05/california-water-cutbacks_n_7218696.html

Problem is I still see folks in my neighborhood watering their lawn. There has to be some type of penalty to conserve.

Perhaps they should consider only a certain amount of hours per day that residential users have access to water, unless there is a special wavier. Let say 4 hours in the morning, and 4 hours in the evening..

Other than looking into building a water pipeline, desalinization plants which are long term things that should be looked into, they really need to take it seriously, and just based on what they have done so far, it appears they are not

[Brother Buzz]

1. Our baseline has been established at 7CCF

That's seven hundred cubic feet or roughly 5000 gallons of water a month. Modest lawns can be 'maintained' and still stay within the stringent restrictions if the owners water judiciously; the days of lush lawns are on hiatus. Smart lawn owners are relying on timers to meter their precious water.

[still_one]

2. I hear you, but how are they enforcing it? You pay more if you exceed, and that isn't particularly

a good way, because I would assume that those with more means may not care as much.

Regardless, any idea what the long term plan is?

[Brother Buzz]

3. Yes, you pay more if you exceed the baseline

I'm told each additional CCF will cost ten dollars.

In my world, the long term plan is is to increase water storage capacity, and my congressman is working on it in DC:

Congressmen Garamendi and LaMalfa Announce Sites Reservoir Water Storage Bill

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressmen John Garamendi (D-CA-03) and Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-01) announced the bipartisan Sacramento Valley Water Storage and Restoration Act of 2014,

which would authorize a feasibility study and construction of Sites Reservoir in Colusa County, California. The bill sets a deadline for the completion of the feasibility study and if deemed feasible, authorizes construction of the storage reservoir. The bill also creates a process by which a non-federal sponsor could develop the project. Once completed, Sites Reservoir would provide 1.9 million acre feet of water storage capacity for Northern California and would help residents prepare for droughts like the one currently impacting the state. This bipartisan legislation was developed with local stakeholders, primarily the Sites Joint Powers Authority (JPA), a regional consortium of local water agencies and counties who joined together in 2010 to advocate for the project.

“The devastation of the drought has highlighted the need for additional water storage. Sites Reservoir would dramatically expand our water reserves – and create jobs in the process. We must heed the warning of the book of Genesis: stock up during the years of plenty, so that you can get by in the years of need,” said Congressman Garamendi, who served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior under President Clinton. “I want to thank Doug and his staff for working with my office and the JPA in crafting this legislation. This bipartisan bill is vitally important for serving the water needs of California communities, agriculture and environment.”

"California's current drought has made it more clear than ever that we need to invest in our state's water supply by building Sites Reservoir. While California's population has grown dramatically over the past few decades, we're still relying upon a water supply system built generations ago," said Congressman LaMalfa. "Sites Reservoir will bring 1.9 million acre feet of new water storage to California, enough for both agriculture and cities while also creating environmental benefits and thousands of jobs. It's time to end the decade of studies and build this project, before the next drought cuts off water to our communities, farms and ranches."

“The Sites Reservoir bill is a perfect example of what can be accomplished when people find common ground to reach common goals – in this case, addressing California’s water crisis through storage,” said Congressmen Garamendi and LaMalfa.

<more>

http://garamendi.house.gov/press-release/congressmen-garamendi-and-lamalfa-announce-sites-reservoir-water-storage-bill

Despite what some doomsdayers say about it, there WILL be wet years intermixed with the dry years over the next couple of decades, and we need the ability to capture some of that water that shoots down the Sacramento river and back into the ocean during the flood periods. The new buzz word is Off Site Reservoirs; conservationists, farmers and citizens agree, it's a win, win, win idea.

[still_one]

4. I like Garamendi. Appreciate the information