Water Conservation: From Hobby to Obligation (CyberRain)

Jan.16, 2009 in Prop Management, Public Works, Water Conservation, Water Crisis, Water Industry, Water Management

(Jan. 16, 2009, Cyber-Rain)

Since the beginning of Cyber-Rain, we have encouraged consumers to save water in every way possible. The Cyber-Rain “smart” sprinkler controller is designed to help save water, prevent waste and save money on the water bills. According to new reports, water conservation in California may soon become less of a hobby, and more of a mandatory obligation. It’s ok, we’ll get through it, we always do! We all need to make sure we are helping to conserve water, as officials tell us that we need to conserve our precious resource and use water responsibly.

In recent articles in such publications as the LA Times and the San Francisco Chronicle, the hot-button issue of statewide water rationing is at the forefront. According to the Times, an official from Southern California’s Metropolitan Water District stated that water rationing (or not rationing) is dependent on a number of factors, including the kind of weather than Winter 2009 will bring. The investigative article based its findings off of a recent conversation with an official from the Metropolitan Water District, who, according to the paper, conveyed the general idea that there is a the MWD will be rationing water among the many Southern California water districts to which the MWD provide water. The same official stated to the paper that “We are now at a 1 out of 2 probability of needing to allocate water in Southern California.”

The issue of water rationing in Southern California becomes a statewide issue, too, as much of Southern California’s water is delivered from Northern California locations. The springtime deliveries may be even smaller this year, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has already cut NorCal-SoCal water deliveies. According to the MWD, it was a federal court ruling that was responsible for “curtail[ing] water deliveries from northern California due to environmental factors in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. And, after a record dry spring that dramatically curtailed snow runoff from the Sierra Nevada mountains, Governor Schwarzenegger declared an official statewide drought on June 4…

“Following the Governor’s action, the Metropolitan board of directors issued a Water Supply Alert on June 10 for its six-county service area, urging local jurisdictions to adopt and implement water conservation ordinances and to significantly increase efforts and programs to conserve water.”

The Metropolitan Water District has found ways to store water for approximately three years worth of drier years. however, with the recent especially dry years, the water provider is facing a new situation: “With water uncertainties facing Southern California, the challenge ahead is to lower demand and stretch our reserve supplies as much as possible.”

The Metropolitan Water District provides water to nearly 30 districts and cities, including the City of Los Angeles, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, the Municipal Water District of Orange County, Calleguas Water District, the City of Santa Monica, Western Municipal Water District of Riverside County, the City of Beverly Hills, the City of Burbank, the City of Glendale and the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, among many other member agencies.

The MWD’s webpage informs visitors that local “water reserves have dropped significantly,” according to the updated “Water Alert.” The alert shows a diagram, explaining that California’s water reserves are under half of the designated “full” level.

The MWD encourages consumers to learn about being more water conscious, by offering useful literature and websites, and great rebate programs. One interesting link is to the mini-brochure “Dealing With Drought,” a brief informational guide for those curious about the effects of a drought, and how best to cope. This guide is provided by theAssociation of California Water Agencies. The brochure explains the possible repurcussions of a drought (including increased prices and a need to cut down on water usage), and offers ways in which to best get through a drought period, including the utilization of water-saving technology. Efficient irrigation systems/”smart” sprinkler controllers like Cyber-Rain are one helpful way to save water (and thus, save on the water bill) on a daily basis. And the MWD and many other water districts offer partial to full rebates on the purchase of such efficient, water-saving technology. The MWD Save A Buck program is another rebate program that offers handsome refunds for those individuals and businesses which purchase water-saving irrigation systems like Cyber-Rain. SoCal Water$mart offers rebates on “Weather-based irrigation Controllers” (such as Cyber-Rain), “starting at $80/controller for less than 1 acre of landscape; $630/acre for more than 1 acre of landscape.” (According to SoCal Water$mart, we are already in a drought.) BeWaterWise and SoCal Water$mart are just two of the many residential and commercial rebate programs through the MWD, offering many rebates for homeowners who wish to save water.

We’re all in this together, and together, we can be water conscious. Let’s all work to become knowledgable on how to be great water savers, and how to best get through a drought, until officials can determine whether or not the state will go into drought-mode. We will get through this, and can learn great things about saving water in the meantime!

Let’s all’s conserve water together!