On April 5th, the State Water Resource Control Board released statewide conservation numbers for the month of February. The temperature and precipitation monitor showed that the state was hotter and wetter than its’ 2013 comparison baseline. It also showed that the state was 96% of its overall conservation goal.
Out of the total 399 water suppliers reporting, 218 met their conservation goals with 113 water agencies missing their goal by 5% to over 15%. This gap, between those that have missed or met their conservation standards has hovered in the same amount for most of the year. Unfortunately, conservation for many cities has not become a way of life or the baseline for conservation was already very low.
To address a cities inability to move the needle it is important to look at the different sources of water. In the Sacramento Bee’s option section, Jay Lund wrote a piece called “Inevitable changes in California’s water supply”, which outlines six changes that will need to take place in order for California to sustain the state’s ecosystem. The six changes are:
- The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta will export less water and some islands will flood
- The San Joaquin Valley will have less irrigated land
- Urban areas will use less water, reuse more wastewater and capture more stormwater
- Some wild native species will become unsustainable
- Water solutions and funding will become more local and regional
- Water will be managed more tightly
Mr. Lund expands on each point in his article, which we provide a link to below. To move in this inevitable future, California’s cities will need to feel the a higher urgency and stronger push form the State. If the State is still unable, to move 113 water agencies to reach their conservation goals we may run into some serious trouble down the line. Number three, two, and five must be done in synergy to achieve the real conservation we need and must be done with an accurate tool to achieve it.
Tune in next time, as we examine the economic differences of the customers base with in each water supplier district.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article74729642.html
