California’s worsening drought and mandatory new state water
rules are prompting Bay Area water agencies to beef up their
conservation staffs — the employees sometimes called “water
cops.”
In the midst of one of its worst droughts in decades,
Californians are being told to cut back on water use or pay a
price. Many Coachella Valley residents say they are doing
their best to comply.
Talk about mixed messages: While Gov. Jerry Brown is warning that
California faces its worst drought since record-keeping began and
regulators have approved fines of up to $500 for wasting water,
some Southern California cities are continuing to issue warnings
and citations to residents who let their lawns go brown.
The coastal region was cited along with the northeast corner of
the state in a study released Tuesday as areas that saw
significant increases in water use, even as Gov. Jerry Brown
called for Californians to cut use by 20 percent.
California’s
north-south water rivalry revved up Wednesday, a day after a
state survey showed that while most of the drought-ravaged state
modestly reduced its water consumption, coastal Southern
California is headed in the wrong direction.
Back in February, pop superstar Lady Gaga got permission to fill
the pool at Hearst Castle for a music video shoot. Among the
conditions of the deal was her participation in a public service
announcement promoting water conservation, which earned her a
letter of thanks from Gov. Jerry Brown.
From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “It’s Our
Environment” blog, in a post by André Villaseñor:
Recently, I thought about water quite a bit while my daughters
and I were camping in Joshua Tree National Park. To survive three
days in the desert, we brought 15 gallons of water. We were able
to thrive on less than 12 gallons, including drinking, cooking,
and brushing.
Californians increased water consumption this year during the
state’s severe drought, despite pleas from the governor to
conserve, fallowed farm fields and reservoirs that are quickly
draining, according to a report released Tuesday.
Earlier this year, Gov. Jerry Brown urged Californians to
voluntarily cut their water usage by 20% to help preserve the
state’s already limited supply during this severe drought. But
sometimes, asking nicely doesn’t work.
California is in the third year of its worst drought in decades.
But you wouldn’t know it by looking at how much water the state’s
residents and businesses are using. According to a recent state
survey, Californians cut the amount of water they used in the
first five months of the year by just 5 percent, far short of the
20 percent reduction Gov.
Drew Mathers doesn’t carry a badge or a gun, but he’s still a
detective — one who spends his days snooping through the
bathrooms and backyards of Silicon Valley. … He’s on the
hunt for water waste.
In five months since the drought emergency was declared,
Californians have cut their water consumption only 5 percent
compared with recent years, according to state officials — a far
cry from the 20 percent that Gov. Jerry Brown called for in
January.
Modesto is asking everyone to conserve water as the state bakes
under a third straight year of drought. And in case folks
have not gotten the message, the city is helping them.
From the California Department of Food and Agriculture Planting
Seeds blog:
CDFA continues to accept applications for the State Water
Efficiency and Enhancement Program, or SWEEP. The deadline to
apply is July 15, 2014.
The program is designed to provide financial assistance to
agricultural operations for the implementation of of water
conservation measures that increase water efficiency and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
From the California Department of Food and Agriculture Planting
Seeds blog:
CDFA continues to accept applications for the State Water
Efficiency and Enhancement Program, or SWEEP. The deadline to
apply is July 15, 2014.
The program is designed to provide financial assistance to
agricultural operations for the implementation of of water
conservation measures that increase water efficiency and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
Southern Californians have fallen far short of achieving the 20%
voluntary cut in water use sought by Gov. Jerry Brown in the face
of the deep drought afflicting every corner of the state.
Officials in California are asking people to use less water
because of the severe drought. But about a million people in the
state live in homes without the best means of water-use
management: meters.
