Plenty of rain so no hysteria in the media on the "climate change" induced drought (San Diego: houses, prices)

[mgforshort]

I'm reading the late edition of the Sacramento Bee newspaper today, on 5/31/2018.

A new law, the proposed assembly bill 1668 by Laura Friedman, D-Glendale and Senate Bill 606 by Bob Hertzberg, D-Los Angeles, give water districts more flexibility than the strict cuts mandated under Governor Brown's emergency drought order. It will allow state regulators to assess thousands of dollars in fines against jurisdictions that do not meet the goals.

The laws set an initial limit for indoor water use of 55 gallons per-person per-day in 2022.
The Dept. of Water Resources will recommend standards for outdoor use by October 2021.

Very scary.

Our water provider, Paradise Irrigation District, has a great website. Our water meter is connected remotely to this website. I can log on and check our water use by day, by month, by year, or by the hour. It takes one day for the usage to show up the following day. I can see the water use spiking in the morning (taking a shower) and spiking in the late afternoon again (watering our fruit trees).

On a low day, no laundry, we are using a minimum of 68 gallons a day, two people.
On a high day, sprinklers on the front and hand watering in the back for the fruit trees, we use 800 gallons for that day.
On a medium use day, sprinklers on the front only, we use about 650 gallons. We irrigate twice a WEEK in the summer or nothing in the winter. Our land is only one third of an acre. No pool or hot tub.

If these laws pass we might have to give up all irrigation and let all trees and flowers dry up. Once we stop watering the bone-dry land would become a huge fire hazard. I might not live that long, I hope. But if we do, the time will arrive to sell and leave California.

Our water comes from the nearby Paradise Lake. In the winter months the lake is at 100% capacity, the excess is released over the dam (artificial lake).
By the late summer months, no rain for 4-5 months, the capacity drops to 75%. The lake at the deepest point is maybe 130 feet, and by October is about 13 feet below the highest level. The water district posts the numbers on the website and since I kayak there often I can verify their accuracy.
My point is we have plenty of water even before the rains come, and we don't supply water to anyone but Paradise and Magalia. Nevertheless, we could be restricted to using 100 gallons a day. Our high water bills are $ 80-85 in the summer and $ 50 in the winter. We must pay a mimimum $ 40 service charge even if we use only 10 gallons daily; the water is cheap, delivery is not.

The funny part is, I spent 25 years in a Communist country, where nobody cared how much water or electricity we used as long as the bills were paid on time.

[mgforshort]

Something I left out of post #111.
Three or four years ago in the middle of the drought California passed serious restrictions on water use. Not the amount used, but the time and day lawns were allowed irrigation, and how and when to wash your cars and so forth.
As a result the residents cut their water use. Now, the water districts were so alarmed by the drop in revenue, they had no other choice than raise the rates.
Average Joe cuts his water use by 25 % and sees his water bill go up by 15%; something like that.

If only the powers-to-be had the wisdom simply to raise the cost of a gallon consumed by the necessary amount then the residents would have cut down on their consumption. Like, when the cost of gas goes up we drive less for leisure and cancel the vacation trip.

The real issue is that whatever water we save today is needed later for the next two? three? six? million new homes the state wants to allow to eliminate the "housing shortage."

Once the homes are done, and another ten million new residents find housing, the water allotment can go down to 30-40 gallons per person, per day. It is a self-defeating circle. Population is up, quality of life is down.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by mgforshort

Something I left out of post #111.
Three or four years ago in the middle of the drought California passed serious restrictions on water use. Not the amount used, but the time and day lawns were allowed irrigation, and how and when to wash your cars and so forth.
As a result the residents cut their water use. Now, the water districts were so alarmed by the drop in revenue, they had no other choice than raise the rates.
Average Joe cuts his water use by 25 % and sees his water bill go up by 15%; something like that.

If only the powers-to-be had the wisdom simply to raise the cost of a gallon consumed by the necessary amount then the residents would have cut down on their consumption. Like, when the cost of gas goes up we drive less for leisure and cancel the vacation trip.

The real issue is that whatever water we save today is needed later for the next two? three? six? million new homes the state wants to allow to eliminate the "housing shortage."

Once the homes are done, and another ten million new residents find housing, the water allotment can go down to 30-40 gallons per person, per day. It is a self-defeating circle. Population is up, quality of life is down.

This

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by mgforshort

Something I left out of post #111.
Three or four years ago in the middle of the drought California passed serious restrictions on water use. Not the amount used, but the time and day lawns were allowed irrigation, and how and when to wash your cars and so forth.
As a result the residents cut their water use. Now, the water districts were so alarmed by the drop in revenue, they had no other choice than raise the rates.
Average Joe cuts his water use by 25 % and sees his water bill go up by 15%; something like that.

If only the powers-to-be had the wisdom simply to raise the cost of a gallon consumed by the necessary amount then the residents would have cut down on their consumption. Like, when the cost of gas goes up we drive less for leisure and cancel the vacation trip.

The real issue is that whatever water we save today is needed later for the next two? three? six? million new homes the state wants to allow to eliminate the "housing shortage."

Once the homes are done, and another ten million new residents find housing, the water allotment can go down to 30-40 gallons per person, per day. It is a self-defeating circle. Population is up, quality of life is down.

Sad but true. Imagine 10 to 20 people crammed into a house and how much water they use. Change the laws to limit how many people can share a bed room or sleep in any other room as residents from the current ridiculous standards.

[mgforshort]

I would be willing to pay a reasonable rate increase on the gallons used, with one condition.
All money collected must be used to build new reservoirs (think more lakes for storing water and recreation).
As of now a huge portion of the water coming from creeks and rivers ends up in the ocean.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by mgforshort

I would be willing to pay a reasonable rate increase on the gallons used, with one condition.
All money collected must be used to build new reservoirs (think more lakes for storing water and recreation).
As of now a huge portion of the water coming from creeks and rivers ends up in the ocean.

Ever wonder why CA does not require for new housing and allow for older houses, a catch basin (Very large) to collect rain water, treat with filters and use IN the house. This is done for example in New Zealand. The State requires so many things but in a State with major water issues they do so very little to increase the supply. Rather just raise prices while not really limiting use. Imagine of every water meter stopped your flow of water each day you reached a limit and .. regardless of how rich you were..

[mgforshort]

Originally Posted by expatCA

Ever wonder why CA does not require for new housing and allow for older houses, a catch basin (Very large) to collect rain water, treat with filters and use IN the house. This is done for example in New Zealand. The State requires so many things but in a State with major water issues they do so very little to increase the supply. Rather just raise prices while not really limiting use. Imagine of every water meter stopped your flow of water each day you reached a limit and .. regardless of how rich you were..

This might just happen, you and I could perhaps avoid it, but your children/grandchildren will get hit hard.
As much as we all complain about the high cost of housing in California, that is the ONLY factor stopping our population skyrocketing to 60-80-90 million people - or more.
Dear Lord, how happy I am to be an old fart.

[mgforshort]

Watching TV news last night, an official from the city of Redding claims that while the water used per household will go down with these laws, the cost of maintaining the pipes etc. is the same. Therefore they will raise the rates on everyone.
Pay more, get less. The Democrats once again showing their true colors.
Shower twice a week. Take your clothes to the laundromat - if this works for the proletariat it's good for everybody.

[movinon]

How in the world do they plan to monitor this? What if you're assumed to have one person in the house and you have house guests for a week? Do we all have to share the one person's quota? Will they put some sort of monitoring device on the meter? I suppose they could attach something to the line where it goes into the house as opposed to the outside line. And then I suppose we'd get fined for going over the 55 gallons a day? What a logistical nightmare, both for the water agencies and the users.

[Exitus Acta Probat]

Originally Posted by mgforshort

Something I left out of post #111.
Three or four years ago in the middle of the drought California passed serious restrictions on water use. Not the amount used, but the time and day lawns were allowed irrigation, and how and when to wash your cars and so forth.
As a result the residents cut their water use. Now, the water districts were so alarmed by the drop in revenue, they had no other choice than raise the rates.
Average Joe cuts his water use by 25 % and sees his water bill go up by 15%; something like that.

If only the powers-to-be had the wisdom simply to raise the cost of a gallon consumed by the necessary amount then the residents would have cut down on their consumption. Like, when the cost of gas goes up we drive less for leisure and cancel the vacation trip.

The real issue is that whatever water we save today is needed later for the next two? three? six? million new homes the state wants to allow to eliminate the "housing shortage."

Once the homes are done, and another ten million new residents find housing, the water allotment can go down to 30-40 gallons per person, per day. It is a self-defeating circle. Population is up, quality of life is down.

Yeah, this.