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.”
With California in a severe drought, the State Water Resources
Control Board ruled last week that some cases of water waste
could be treated as criminal infractions. … The Sacramento Bee
asked Sacramento utilities director Dave Brent how the city was
dealing with the state’s latest ruling.
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.
In a little-noticed provision of the regulations adopted Tuesday,
the State Water Resources Control Board declared that public
agencies – in addition to individuals and businesses – can be
prosecuted for a criminal infraction and fined $500 per day for
certain categories of water waste.
From the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA):
The recent mandatory water restrictions put in place by the state
were the topic of an interview on July 16 by Judy Woodruff during
the PBS News Hour of Timothy Quinn, ACWA Executive Director, and
Craig Miller of KQED. Much of the focus of the interview was
on just how serious the drought is and why the regulations are
necessary right now.
On the same day the state approved mandatory outdoor watering
restrictions with the threat of $500 fines, the Southern
California couple received a letter from their city threatening a
$500 penalty for not watering their brown lawn.
If you decide to spray-wash your driveway in the middle of the
drought, God forbid, the cops aren’t likely to show up at your
doorstep. It’s more likely your neighbor will rat you out.
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.
Large water agencies throughout the Sacramento region have no
intention of imposing criminal penalties for water waste, despite
a new state regulation that allows them to do so.
The State Water Board acted Tuesday to set minimum standards for
water conservation, with the ability of local water providers to
issue fines for blatant water use. But local water providers
said residents are doing their part, overall.
California water officials on Tuesday approved a $500 fine to be
imposed on water wasters and other measure to improve water
conservation during the drought. Here are some answers to
questions about Tuesday’s action:
From the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA):
The State Water Resources Control Board on Wednesday posted the
final text of the resolution and emergency regulations that call
for statewide mandatory water restrictions.
From the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) Voices
on Water Blog, in a post by ACWA Executive Director Tim Quinn:
The State Water Resources Control Board took the unprecedented
step yesterday [July 15] of ordering mandatory conservation
measures to address California’s deepening drought. Less than 24
hours later, pop star Lady Gaga released a public service
announcement urging Californians to save water.
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.
On Tuesday, amid evidence that existing conservation measures are
not working, the State Water Resources Control Board took the
unprecedented step of declaring certain types of water waste a
criminal infraction similar to a speeding violation.
Reservoirs are running dry, the Capitol’s lawn has turned brown,
and farmers have left hundreds of thousands of acres
unplanted. Even so, many Californians aren’t taking the
drought seriously.
