california drought Archives - Falcon Water Free

311 CITIES. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE REST?

Hello readers, today we’re introducing a new series on the blog. After almost two years (!!) of content, the team decided it was about time we put some faces to the articles we develop for you.

To start off, we would like to welcome – and introduce – Liam Dow. Liam plays the roll of our Government Affairs Coordinator, and steers the wheel when it comes to California’s water conservation initiatives. Without further ado, here is Liam with a little update on what we’re seeing in Southern California.

One thing that might surprise you is that during the month of August California exceeded its reduction target by 3 percent, but water suppliers representing roughly 131 cities fell short of their targets. These 131 cities have continued to fall short with the majority having never met their conservation targets set forth by the State. To address these challenges the State has sent violation letters, urging non-compliant cities to implement new policy changes, provide rebate funding, and host educational initiatives.

In my day to day role, I get to see these initiatives up close and personal and while some efforts have helped with conservation, frankly I think most of these cities are not demonstrating a sense of urgency and creativity. In these circumstances, I see the Public Works – or comparable – departments working diligently on water conservation suggestions from the State. However, rarely does a city unanimously demonstrate a willingness to go above the state recommendations and confront the urgency with action. In addition, it seems that cities are justifying missed targets by blaming hotter months while, at the same time, hoping for colder ones.

But that’s not going to solve our drought. We desperately need action! We can learn from initiatives taken by cities that surpass their compliance targets, such as San Francisco and Pismo Beach. Where I have seen leadership take a more active role to implement new policies that effectively save thousands of gallons of water. Pismo Beach recently issued a city ordinance that mandates all existing and new buildings install high efficiency water conservation devices by February, 2016. Alongside San Francisco which implemented an ordinance that provides significant rebate funding for high efficiency restroom devices and requires cities to be in compliance by 2017.

That type of urgency is what California needs to bounce back from a drought like this. We need more cities to take immediate action and think through innovative solutions that include both the business community and non – profits. Together we can effectively tackle challenges that threaten our most precious natural resource, and rise above the worst drought California has ever seen.

CALIFORNIA IS FLOOD PRONE

It’s hard to draw attention to flood management during a drought. Nevertheless, this is precisely the time to act to reduce future flood risk.

Damaging floods are common throughout California and over the past 60 years, every county has been declared a state or federal flood disaster area multiple times.

This winter the scenario looks like it will be no different and maybe even worst. Especially taking into consideration the extreme drought the state has been going through and the prospect of an El Nino fast approaching.

Before we start going down the all too familiar list of reasons why flood is likely to happen in the state, let’s take a step back and focus on a matter that’s been in the media lately which relates to this subject: climate change, population growth, and infrastructure investment.

California flood management faces significant challenges. There is a large and growing gap between flood infrastructure needs and rates of investment. Population growth and new development are increasing the threats to public safety and the economic risk from flooding. The changing climate is likely to bring larger and more frequent floods, with few intense storms after long dry months. That is how most of California gets its annual precipitation and when these storms occur, runoff flows rapidly into valleys and coastal areas, potentially creating high flood risk.

FIREFIGHTERS CONSERVE WATER IN CA DROUGHT

When fighting wildland or structural fires, it’s hard to overstate the value of water. However, the ongoing drought has created new challenges to firefighters, who are trying to conserve water while dousing flames. According to state water officials, firefighters are being extremely careful to account for the impact of the drought and are working with water managers to identify where water is still available to use. They have also felt the drought’s effect when they’re not fighting fires. Training exercises are now using less water, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The drought is also slowing firefighting response in some places, as lower water levels have made it impossible in some instances for helicopters to funnel water from lakes and ponds. In some cases, that means sending air tankers farther to a deeper water source, or using other tactics such as using dirt or flames retardants instead of water.

With wild fires raging across the West, the drought has come as a great challenge. What used to be a season has turned into a year-round battle. However, officials have been surveying water sources for months as the drought has changed many landscapes and are on board with adapting as necessary.

CALIFORNIA WATER BOARD UPDATE

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) today announced two new rebate programs to help Californians replace inefficient toilets and tear out water-guzzling lawns, further conserving water during the state’s historic drought.

The “turf and toilet” rebate program is financed by the Proposition 1 water bond approved by voters in 2014. The program will help carry out Governor Brown’s April 1 Executive Order on drought to further reduce water use in homes by replacing more than 10 million square-feet of lawn and upgrading more than 60,000 water-wasting toilets.

DWR will oversee the two rebate programs, which provide a $100 consumer rebate to replace one old toilet per household and up to $2 per square foot for lawn replacement. Californians can visit www.SaveOurWaterRebates.com to apply for the rebates.

With $24 million in Proposition 1 funding, the turf replacement program will rebate $2 per square foot of turf replaced, up to $2,000 per household through state or local turf replacement programs. Consumers are eligible to replace turf that is living or dead at the time of the rebate application. (Bare earth areas with no sign of turf are not eligible for a rebate.)

The $6 million toilet rebate program, also funded through Proposition 1, will help Californians replace approximately 60,000 old, inefficient toilets by offering a $100 customer rebate per household to replace with a high-efficiency toilet.

California has been dealing with the effects of drought for four years. To learn about all the actions the state has taken to manage our water system and cope with the impacts of the drought, visit Drought.CA.Gov. Every Californian should take steps to conserve water; find out how at SaveOurWater.com.

Glad to see things moving in the right direction for water saving! We are all in this together. Have a great weekend.

Original article publish on the California Water Board newsletter.

WILL LOW WATER USE REFLECT HIGHER RATES?

With many meeting statewide reduction goals and cutting their water use by more than 25 percent, water districts are looking to raise water prices up to 18% over the next 5 years in a bid to expand repairs of crumbling water mains and electricity infrastructure. Since water agencies rely of a certain amount to maintain infrastructure and customer service, the State Water Resource Control Board has opened discussion this week to investigate a way to keep water use low, but also help districts with budget issues. Water scarcity and the need to support these organizations are both teaming up to drive up prices.

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) users could potentially see their rates increase 2.4 percent to 5.4 percent annually for five years under a proposal released this Wednesday. In order to keep up with rising power and water costs, LADWP would need to bring up more income – resulting in higher water rates.

This is just the start of the extensive conversation in regards to rates and water usage. This dialogue will need to involve different parties, including customers and feedback from the community. Nonetheless, the scenario is changing and we will have to adapt as it does.

What are your thoughts on this and do you see any immediate solution to the water district income issue?

CA REACHED GOV JERRY BROWN’S WATER TARGET

New numbers, released this Wednesday, show that the state’s ambitious conservation campaign is working, with statewide residential water use declining 28.9 percent in May from its baseline 2013 levels. The figures surpassed Brown’s order in April to cut water use statewide by 25 percent.

This is great news, and we know that motivation, simplicity, through easy-to-remember tips and “triggers,” reminding people have gone a long way! There is still a lot we can do in other areas, such as in commercial buildings. Let’s take a look at how much is used where in urban areas.

Knowing the facts and motivating change will get us on track and help us continue to strive for better water conservation technology.

Hope you have a great weekend!

CALIFORNIA CONSUMES

California is having one of the driest years on record, causing some of the worst drought conditions in recorded history. It’s so dry in California that in Jan. 2014, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. proclaimed a State of Emergency, and directed state officials to take necessary actions to prepare for and respond to drought conditions. In order to reduce water usage state-wide, The California Energy Commission prioritized water efficiency measures for faucets, toilets, and urinals to implement the Governor’s vision for all Californians to conserve water in every way possible.

California consumes about 443 billion gallons of water a year for flushing toilets and urinals, and running faucets. Reducing water consumption by establishing minimum efficiency standards for these appliances is a key component of California’s overall water and energy use strategies. Reducing water consumption is a key component of California’s overall water and energy use strategies.

How much water and energy can be saved?
The update to the standards for toilets, urinals, and faucets would save about 10.3 billion gallons of water, 30.6 million therms (Mtherm) of natural gas, and 218 gigawatt hours (GWh) a year when the standards are first in effect. By 2039 after the existing stock of water appliances are replaced, the savings increases to an estimated 105 billion gallons of water, 278 Mtherm of natural gas, and 2,100 GWh of electricity a year. This is a savings of more than three times the annual amount of water used by the City of San Francisco. In addition, the standards would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2 million tons of carbon dioxide annually.

ENERGY COMMISSION APPROVES WATER APPLIANCE STANDARDS

After Jerry Brown’s mandatory water reduction, the state’s experts have been managing water resources to deal with effects of the current water scarcity and prepare for the years to come. As part of the solution, the California Energy Commission approved standards for water appliances in which will save more than 10 billion gallons of water in the first year. Over time, the water savings is estimated to reach 105 billion gallons per year – pretty amazing number!

The water standards approved by the commission, on April 8th require appliances to consume less water thereby using less energy. Toilets and urinals are required to use 1.28 gallons or less and 0.125 gallons or less . Faucets – being residential or public – are required to consume 1.2 gallons and 0.5 gallons or less per minute flow rate.

THE ECONOMICS OF CALIFORNIA DROUGHT

What happens when the country’s largest state runs low on water? The Golden State has been in the grips of historic drought conditions, and all the dryness has threatened not only the famous California lifestyle, but the state’s economically essential agriculture sector.

California is known for its coastal beaches, mountains, and desert. But the state’s most important economic region may be its Central Valley, one of the country’s most productive agricultural areas. Most of the tomatoes, lemon, pistachio and almonds in the United States are grown in the valley. However, the agricultural output demands a lot of water. While cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco can sustain themselves with less water, farmers in the Central Valley find it extremely hard to do so and be profitable at the same time. The lack of water is forcing California farmers to spend huge sums of money to keep their crops irrigated and thriving. In addition to irrigation, lack of water is also affecting the value of some farm land.

With that said, California’s dryness has had a national impact on food prices, as the cost of some U.S produce that primarily grow in the Golden State has increased. Nevertheless, the drought has become an opportunity to force the state to seriously focus and reform laws towards water supplies and overall consumption. California has always been a dry state, and things are not likely to change in that aspect. Even if the drought continues for another few years, through prudent conservation and measures we will adapt. Our relationship with water has shifted and new technologies have come to surface. It has brought about changes that were long overdue, and despite the state’s growing population, California’s per capita water consumption has been decreasing for the past decades.

CALIFORNIA’S WATER CRISIS AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR CRE OWNERS

After years of worry and concern over the lack of rainfall in California, Governor Jerry Brown made a historical announcement this past March. The statement made by Brown, officially recognized the alarming situation the Golden State is facing in regards to the sustainability of its water supply, and is the first mandatory water cut in California.

This is a sign that the drought is not only threatening the multi-billion dollar agricultural industry, but also the livability throughout the state. Not only does the drought have economical consequences, but it also extends through the social and environmental aspect of society. Without a booming agriculture, towns are given into poverty and unemployment rates soar to extreme. These are wages lost. Loss of revenue into the community.The money that supports families and businesses. On the other hand, it also impacts the environment around us. Plants and animals depend on water, just like people. When a drought occurs, their food supply can shrink and their habitat can be damaged. Sometimes the damage is only temporary and their habitat and food supply return to normal when the drought is over. But sometimes drought’s impact on the environment can last a long time, maybe forever. We don’t know what’s ahead of us, so we need to change the way we view our water supply and use it in a respectful and sustainable way.

This extends beyond the agricultural realm and is reaching commercial real estate owners as well. With Brown’s mandatory cuts, landlords will have to make a few changes to the way they manage their water usage. Considerations vary depending on water districts and type of commercial product owned. However, these are a few of the restrictions that landlords will need to address:

Even though, it seems extreme to implement such changes, in such a short amount of time, water districts are offering incentives to help mitigate the costs associated with the retrofitting. Owners will find rebate programs and other incentives to cut costs when it comes to replacing lawns, improving irrigation systems, and upgrading metering systems to monitor water flow more accurately.

We all have roles to play when it comes to living more sustainably. Water usage varies according to regions and the types of players that are involved, nevertheless if we all do our part, that 10, 15, 20 percent can add up to be a whole lot of gallons of water saved. And those gallons may be just what we need.