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The recent news about the mandated 25% reduction in water usage in CA, and likely other restrictions that will hit other parts of the West this summer, has made me wonder about how such restrictions should be implemented? If you live in an area with water restrictions, how have they been implemented:
watering only on certain days?
watering only with certain techniques etc?
restricting certain water hungry plant types?
etc...
What do you think is a fair way of implementing restrictions:
set a % reduction for everyone,
set a limit on the total gallons per property of water allowed,
Gallons per acre of land
Gallons per resident
Usage based water pricing - ie the more you use the more/gallon you pay
Suggestions?
I have a feeling this is going to become a hot topic this summer and I am wondering what the broader sentiment is. I am certainly in favor of water restrictions in drought afflicted areas, but I am not sure about the best way to implement them.
California's problems have far less to do with conservation than the fact that there is a huge population in an area that, naturally, cannot be sustained.
Artificial means will be a drop in the bucket, and short lived. As it is, much water is taken from other areas to feed what is essentially a desert. This cannot be resolved.
The face of the planet is changing. The loss of snowfall will continue. Too much dependency on melt water only adds to the problem. Trying to sustain the agricultural industry will push this to the brink, probably within five years.
A choice will have to be made -water for people or water for food. Both will not be manageable.
This is a little off topic, but 'people' in CA only represent about 20% of the water consumption, with agriculture being 80%. A more accurate assertion is that we need to eat less almonds and grow less alfalfa.
That being said, how do you think that water restrictions in CA or elsewhere should be fairly implemented? I am a little concerned that the everyone will just be told to reduce consumption by 25%, which doesn't seem fair to the folks that are already conserving water.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrRational
Coastal CA needs to REDUCE it's population level.
Southern CA (aka a desert) needs to do that dramatically.
The recent news about the mandated 25% reduction in water usage in CA, and likely other restrictions that will hit other parts of the West this summer, has made me wonder about how such restrictions should be implemented? If you live in an area with water restrictions, how have they been implemented:
watering only on certain days?
watering only with certain techniques etc?
restricting certain water hungry plant types?
etc...
What do you think is a fair way of implementing restrictions:
set a % reduction for everyone,
set a limit on the total gallons per property of water allowed,
Gallons per acre of land
Gallons per resident
Usage based water pricing - ie the more you use the more/gallon you pay
Suggestions?
I have a feeling this is going to become a hot topic this summer and I am wondering what the broader sentiment is. I am certainly in favor of water restrictions in drought afflicted areas, but I am not sure about the best way to implement them.
Call me crazy but if you live in an arid climate unless it's food I don't understand why anyone would be watering anything drought or no drought. I live where water is plentiful and if we don;t get rain for 3 weeks the lawn goes brown, you won't see me out there watering it.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Try looking at google maps earth, and see how many big lawns, golf courses, and swimming pools are in southern CA, and the east bay (SF Bay Area). There may have to be a choice between those nice amenities and having produce and meat to eat. When I worked at the water company in Oakland on the rationing programs during the 1976-77 drought, people were willing to pay $3,000+/month to keep their lawns green and pools full. I don't think this coming summer that will be allowed. Glad I don't still work there.
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