Politics
Water supply alert issued
By Jeremy Oberstein
GLENDALE — Droughtlike conditions throughout Southern California achieved a new level of importance Wednesday after the region’s main water supplier issued a declaration, asking local municipalities to step up their conservation efforts.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California announced a water supply alert that does not call for mandatory restrictions, but does ask cities to ratchet up its efforts to save water in the face of the dry conditions, spokesman Bob Muir said.
“We’re urging local cities to update their drought ordinances,” he said. “A lot of them have them on the books and now it’s time to dust them off.”
The alert follows Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s announcement on June 4 of a statewide drought and comes more than four months after Metropolitan approved a Water Supply Allocation Plan to restrict water deliveries.
Officials could implement the plan — which would require cities to call for mandatory water restrictions — by spring 2009, Muir said.
An unprecedented series of triggers have contributed to dry conditions throughout Southern California.
Low levels of snowpack in the Colorado Basin and Sierra Nevada, an eight-year drought in the Colorado River and a federal court case that has siphoned off water from the Sacramento River/San Joaquin Delta prompted Metropolitan to recommend possible cuts in the local water supply.
Metropolitan’s water deliveries have been cut by nearly 30% as a result of the court-ordered pumping restrictions in the Delta and dry-year reserves have been slashed in half, by 500,000 acre-feet of water, Muir said. An acre-foot of water equals about 325,851 gallons.
“We are eating up our reserves,” he said. “This is the first year we’ve had above average conditions in the Colorado River, but we’ve had record dry conditions there and Gov. Schwarzenegger saw fit to declare a drought in California.”
Metropolitan supplies water to its 26 member agencies in California cities — including about 70% to Glendale and nearly 50% to Burbank — which has led officials to comprise drought ordinances that could possible curtail the local water supply. Such ordinances would work in concert with the allocation plan, Glendale Water & Power Engineer Raja Takidin said.
“It’s in the planning stages,” he said. “It would provide some kind of mandatory prohibition against water usage. We’re hoping to avoid that, but we are preparing.”
The Glendale utility has asked residents to save 10% — or 20 gallons — each day through a series of public outreach efforts that include putting up advertisements in the city, providing magnets for cars and inserting reminders in monthly bills, he said.
Glendale officials have no plans to raise utility rates.
Residents have cut back on their water consumption, but less than the 10% called for, Takidin said.
Burbank has also issued a 20-gallon challenge to its residents.
On Tuesday night, the City Council voted to begin a four-year ramp to raise water and power rates. Starting this year, rates will slide up by 8.5%, adding an average of $3.38 to each resident’s bill, officials said.
“We have to have revenues to match our expenses,” Burbank Water & Power engineer Bill Mace said.
But efforts by city officials to conserve water, inherent in programs like the 20-gallon challenge, have apparently fallen on deaf years, complicating efforts to reinvigorate the drying water supply, he said.
“There is no conservation whatsoever, despite the messages and all else that’s going on,” Mace said. “It’s not encouraging. If we don’t see the effects of some sort of conversation we’re going to have a problem.”
That problem could manifest itself into mandatory restrictions that might become a reality, even before Metropolitan calls for its allocation plan to be implemented, Mace said.
With rates climbing in Burbank and Glendale officials considering a plan that could reduce water supplies, observers fear that Metropolitan’s supply alert amounts to nothing more than a scare tactic.
“The MWD threatened everyone by turning things up a notch,” said Mike Nolan, former Metropolitan director and Burbank resident. “They’re saying, ‘If you don’t conserve now, you run the risk of rationing later,’ but they are not giving you the whole picture. Everyone in Burbank is supposed to be doing more than what they’re doing already, but where is the water going to come from for these expansions and construction projects, just in the city of Burbank?”
A slew of private and public buildings — including the mixed-use, apartment and retail collection project in Downtown Burbank and the Burbank’s Community Services Building — are slated to open this year, which has complicated conservation efforts, Nolan said.
WATER CONSERVATION TIPS
HOW TO SAVE WATER AT HOME
Save 6 gallons each time you shower
A low flow showerhead uses 2 1/2½ -3 gallons per minute. Cut your shower by 2 minutes. If you have a nonconserving shower head, purchasing a low-flow one could help you save 15 gallons per shower.
Save 6 gallons each time you brush
A bathroom faucet uses 6 gallons per minute. Turn your faucet off while brushing your teeth. Wet your brush, turn off the water, brush, then turn on to rinse.
Save 6-12 gallons with each shave
Turn your faucet off while shaving. Partially fill your sink with water to clean the blade.
Save 20 gallons each leak
Fix faucet leaks. A steady dripping leak wastes 15-20 gallons of water per day. Glendale’s “No Water Waste” ordinance requires that leaks be repaired within 72 hours of discovery.
Save 18 gallons each bath
A full bathtub uses 36 gallons of water. Fill the bath tub half-full.
Save 30 gallons per laundry
A clothes washer uses 30 gallons per load. Wash only full loads; reduce by one load per week.
Save 15 gallons per dish washing
A dishwasher uses 15 gallons per load. Wash only full loads; reduce by one load per week.
Save 200-300 gallons per month
Capture your tap water. While you wait for the water to get hot, catch the flow in a bucket or watering can. Use this water on your house plants or in your garden.
Save 200-300 gallons per month
Keep a container of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running faucet for a cool drink.
HOW TO SAVE WATER OUTSIDE
Save 10 gallons per minute
Don’t leave the hose running while washing your car. Use a nozzle with an automatic shut off and a sponge and pail of soapy water.
Save 30 gallons per day
If you have aDo you have a swimming pool,? Uuse a pool cover.
Save 150 gallons each hosing
Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and walkways.
Save 10 gallons per minute
Don’t let your children play with a running garden hose.
LANDSCAPE SAVINGS
Using low-water-use and native plants in your gardens is one of the best ways to reduce water use in your landscape. However, like all new plants, these plants also require a large amount of water until they are established. Now is not the time to begin retrofitting your landscape.
We are not suggesting that you stop watering your yard, but you can conserve water by following these simple steps:
Save 750 gallons per month
Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants. This holds moisture in so you do not have to water as often. Dig basins to avoid run-off.
Save 500 gallons per month
Set your lawn mower blades one notch higher. Longer grass will reduce evaporation and require less water for maintenance.
Save 750 to 1500 gallons per month
Step on it. If your grass springs back when you lift your foot, no need to water today. If it lays down, time to water.
Water before 10:00 am and after 5:00 p.m.
This is required by Glendale’s “No Water Waste” Ordinance.
Check your irrigation system
Repair leaks and replace damaged sprinkler heads.
Try reducing each watering time by one minute
If your lawn and plants begin to show stress, resume the original time. If everything looks ok, keep using the new time, and good for you, you are conserving water.
When the present water crisis is over, begin retrofitting your garden with low-water-use plants to be ready for the next dry period. You can be sure there will be one.
Facts from Glendale Water & Power website: www.glendalewaterandpower.com/
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California announced a water supply alert that does not call for mandatory restrictions, but does ask cities to ratchet up its efforts to save water in the face of the dry conditions, spokesman Bob Muir said.
“We’re urging local cities to update their drought ordinances,” he said. “A lot of them have them on the books and now it’s time to dust them off.”
The alert follows Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s announcement on June 4 of a statewide drought and comes more than four months after Metropolitan approved a Water Supply Allocation Plan to restrict water deliveries.
Officials could implement the plan — which would require cities to call for mandatory water restrictions — by spring 2009, Muir said.
An unprecedented series of triggers have contributed to dry conditions throughout Southern California.
Low levels of snowpack in the Colorado Basin and Sierra Nevada, an eight-year drought in the Colorado River and a federal court case that has siphoned off water from the Sacramento River/San Joaquin Delta prompted Metropolitan to recommend possible cuts in the local water supply.
Metropolitan’s water deliveries have been cut by nearly 30% as a result of the court-ordered pumping restrictions in the Delta and dry-year reserves have been slashed in half, by 500,000 acre-feet of water, Muir said. An acre-foot of water equals about 325,851 gallons.
“We are eating up our reserves,” he said. “This is the first year we’ve had above average conditions in the Colorado River, but we’ve had record dry conditions there and Gov. Schwarzenegger saw fit to declare a drought in California.”
Metropolitan supplies water to its 26 member agencies in California cities — including about 70% to Glendale and nearly 50% to Burbank — which has led officials to comprise drought ordinances that could possible curtail the local water supply. Such ordinances would work in concert with the allocation plan, Glendale Water & Power Engineer Raja Takidin said.
“It’s in the planning stages,” he said. “It would provide some kind of mandatory prohibition against water usage. We’re hoping to avoid that, but we are preparing.”
The Glendale utility has asked residents to save 10% — or 20 gallons — each day through a series of public outreach efforts that include putting up advertisements in the city, providing magnets for cars and inserting reminders in monthly bills, he said.
Glendale officials have no plans to raise utility rates.
Residents have cut back on their water consumption, but less than the 10% called for, Takidin said.
Burbank has also issued a 20-gallon challenge to its residents.
On Tuesday night, the City Council voted to begin a four-year ramp to raise water and power rates. Starting this year, rates will slide up by 8.5%, adding an average of $3.38 to each resident’s bill, officials said.
“We have to have revenues to match our expenses,” Burbank Water & Power engineer Bill Mace said.
But efforts by city officials to conserve water, inherent in programs like the 20-gallon challenge, have apparently fallen on deaf years, complicating efforts to reinvigorate the drying water supply, he said.
“There is no conservation whatsoever, despite the messages and all else that’s going on,” Mace said. “It’s not encouraging. If we don’t see the effects of some sort of conversation we’re going to have a problem.”
That problem could manifest itself into mandatory restrictions that might become a reality, even before Metropolitan calls for its allocation plan to be implemented, Mace said.
With rates climbing in Burbank and Glendale officials considering a plan that could reduce water supplies, observers fear that Metropolitan’s supply alert amounts to nothing more than a scare tactic.
“The MWD threatened everyone by turning things up a notch,” said Mike Nolan, former Metropolitan director and Burbank resident. “They’re saying, ‘If you don’t conserve now, you run the risk of rationing later,’ but they are not giving you the whole picture. Everyone in Burbank is supposed to be doing more than what they’re doing already, but where is the water going to come from for these expansions and construction projects, just in the city of Burbank?”
A slew of private and public buildings — including the mixed-use, apartment and retail collection project in Downtown Burbank and the Burbank’s Community Services Building — are slated to open this year, which has complicated conservation efforts, Nolan said.
WATER CONSERVATION TIPS
HOW TO SAVE WATER AT HOME
Save 6 gallons each time you shower
A low flow showerhead uses 2 1/2½ -3 gallons per minute. Cut your shower by 2 minutes. If you have a nonconserving shower head, purchasing a low-flow one could help you save 15 gallons per shower.
Save 6 gallons each time you brush
A bathroom faucet uses 6 gallons per minute. Turn your faucet off while brushing your teeth. Wet your brush, turn off the water, brush, then turn on to rinse.
Save 6-12 gallons with each shave
Turn your faucet off while shaving. Partially fill your sink with water to clean the blade.
Save 20 gallons each leak
Fix faucet leaks. A steady dripping leak wastes 15-20 gallons of water per day. Glendale’s “No Water Waste” ordinance requires that leaks be repaired within 72 hours of discovery.
Save 18 gallons each bath
A full bathtub uses 36 gallons of water. Fill the bath tub half-full.
Save 30 gallons per laundry
A clothes washer uses 30 gallons per load. Wash only full loads; reduce by one load per week.
Save 15 gallons per dish washing
A dishwasher uses 15 gallons per load. Wash only full loads; reduce by one load per week.
Save 200-300 gallons per month
Capture your tap water. While you wait for the water to get hot, catch the flow in a bucket or watering can. Use this water on your house plants or in your garden.
Save 200-300 gallons per month
Keep a container of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running faucet for a cool drink.
HOW TO SAVE WATER OUTSIDE
Save 10 gallons per minute
Don’t leave the hose running while washing your car. Use a nozzle with an automatic shut off and a sponge and pail of soapy water.
Save 30 gallons per day
If you have aDo you have a swimming pool,? Uuse a pool cover.
Save 150 gallons each hosing
Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and walkways.
Save 10 gallons per minute
Don’t let your children play with a running garden hose.
LANDSCAPE SAVINGS
Using low-water-use and native plants in your gardens is one of the best ways to reduce water use in your landscape. However, like all new plants, these plants also require a large amount of water until they are established. Now is not the time to begin retrofitting your landscape.
We are not suggesting that you stop watering your yard, but you can conserve water by following these simple steps:
Save 750 gallons per month
Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants. This holds moisture in so you do not have to water as often. Dig basins to avoid run-off.
Save 500 gallons per month
Set your lawn mower blades one notch higher. Longer grass will reduce evaporation and require less water for maintenance.
Save 750 to 1500 gallons per month
Step on it. If your grass springs back when you lift your foot, no need to water today. If it lays down, time to water.
Water before 10:00 am and after 5:00 p.m.
This is required by Glendale’s “No Water Waste” Ordinance.
Check your irrigation system
Repair leaks and replace damaged sprinkler heads.
Try reducing each watering time by one minute
If your lawn and plants begin to show stress, resume the original time. If everything looks ok, keep using the new time, and good for you, you are conserving water.
When the present water crisis is over, begin retrofitting your garden with low-water-use plants to be ready for the next dry period. You can be sure there will be one.
Facts from Glendale Water & Power website: www.glendalewaterandpower.com/
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