Are you concerned about the drought? (Oceanside, Redlands: middle-class, how much, home)

[tijlover]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

Uh, I think desalinization is more likely and more plausible.

Given the NIMBY-infested coastal communities in CA, where on earth would they put one!!! Certainly not off the coast of Malibu, Santa Monica, Orange County, Monterrey, Santa Barbara! Where? Off the coast of Camp Pendleton, yup, that's an idea!

[timtemtym]

What about the flushless urinals? I am seeing these more and more. I work in a government building where they switched them all out for these. Within a year we had to switch back to regular flushing ones because of too many issues (it was venting sewer gas back into the building). They tried every accommodation with the flushless urinals and couldn't make it work.

Still, as a high trafficked area I'm sure we were saving major water for awhile there.

[Beenhere4ever]

I was impressed in Vegas about the many homes and buildings with zero grass. Just desert landscaping. Don't know if its the high price of water or just a fashion statement. I hate lawns. Trees, bushes, even cacti make more sense to me. Personally, I doubt total elimination of lawns would solve the problem. I've watched manufacturing a lot on TV. Water is used in unimaginable quantities. For all sorts of reasons. Manufacturing is engineered on the basis of unlimited water supply.

[tijlover]

The water department pays homeowners for putting in desert landscaping in Las Vegas. It's an incentive to do away with grass. I live in a townhouse complex where we're stubbornly keeping the grass, which I love! Yes, our water bill is $100k a year for our complex, but we're willing to pay it to keep it more green around here.

And, what's the point in doing away with grass! That just allows more unneeded houses to be built here, in a city where there's 60,000 homes sitting vacant!

[Beenhere4ever]

Originally Posted by tijlover

The water department pays homeowners for putting in desert landscaping in Las Vegas. It's an incentive to do away with grass. I live in a townhouse complex where we're stubbornly keeping the grass, which I love! Yes, our water bill is $100k a year for our complex, but we're willing to pay it to keep it more green around here.

And, what's the point in doing away with grass! That just allows more unneeded houses to be built here, in a city where there's 60,000 homes sitting vacant!

No it allows open space without water-greedy ornamental plants that have to be mowed (carbon emissions)

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by timtemtym

What about the flushless urinals? I am seeing these more and more. I work in a government building where they switched them all out for these. Within a year we had to switch back to regular flushing ones because of too many issues (it was venting sewer gas back into the building). They tried every accommodation with the flushless urinals and couldn't make it work.

Still, as a high trafficked area I'm sure we were saving major water for awhile there.

The flushless urinals are gross!! They make some that use very little water though. Those are the kind that should be mandatory in ALL public facilities and businesses. I looked at my roommate's Los Angeles DWP water bill recently and was SHOCKED to see how low the bill was despite the fact that it seems that she's ALWAYS watering her water-hungry plants EVERY day. Maybe higher water bills would be a good idea for Los Angeles residents?

[Beenhere4ever]

Originally Posted by wehotex

The flushless urinals are gross!! They make some that use very little water though. Those are the kind that should be mandatory in ALL public facilities and businesses. I looked at my roommate's Los Angeles DWP water bill recently and was SHOCKED to see how low the bill was despite the fact that it seems that she's ALWAYS watering her water-hungry plants EVERY day. Maybe higher water bills would be a good idea for Los Angeles residents?

Seems like airplane rest rooms are very water conserving. Maybe government should emulate them.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by UB50

Did people catch this article in TIME? California Drought: Los Angeles Is Surviving | TIME.com

Pretty interesting. We have enough water to last a year and a half, even if it never rains....!!!!!!

Interesting article. Really goes against the general rhetoric, that Southern California "steals" water from everywhere and uses it wastefully on lawns, etc.

[Beenhere4ever]

I don't know that "lawns" are the main bad guy. Just watch a few TV shows about food processing in California. You could water THOUSANDS of lawns with the water used in one day in food processing plants.

[True Freedom]

We've installed primarily drought tolerant plants, but we still have a lawn for the kids to play.
It's all about balance. I don't think we should forego living our lives ... just don't be unnecessarily wasteful ... and economize where possible.
Like I said before, I'm keeping my lawn and my pool. Maybe the city planners shouldn't be so hell bent on cramming tons of new water consuming residents in an area with such tight resources.