Water Managers NEED to Manage People, Not Meters (Aguanomics)

Mar.06, 2009 in Public Works, Water Conservation, Water Management

(March 6, 2009, David Zetland, Aguanomics)

(via DW) The Mayor’s office sent out this press release [pdf] yesterday:

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders is calling on all San Diegans to step up water conservation efforts in the wake of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s state of emergency declaration for California’s water supplies.

“The Governor’s message is right on target,” said Mayor Sanders. “Everyone in California, especially here in San Diego where nearly 90% of our water comes from imported sources, must fundamentally change the way we think about and use water,” said the Mayor.

Despite some successes, including the double digit reductions in water use recorded by the City’s own Park and Recreation Department, the City as a whole has fallen short of conservation goals. As a result, the City may soon face painful mandatory restrictions on water use.

I have a few reactions for the Mayor:

Why should citizens “step up their conservation efforts” when water wasters and water misers have to cut back by the same amount?
The City Citizens need not “face painful mandatory restrictions on water use” if the City manages demand for its scarce water. People do NOT face restrictions on gasoline use because gasoline prices RISE in shortage.
In my telephone interview (via TS) with KFMB [article with video and dramatic music!], I noticed something important: Water managers are “managing” meters, not people. They need to stop thinking of how many METERS they serve and start thinking of how many PEOPLE they serve.

Bottom Line: The Mayor, his staff and water managers to “must fundamentally change the way [they] think about” water. It’s time to admit that SD’s across-the-board rationing plan is not only unfair, but inefficient. There is still time to implement pricing that gives every household a per capita allocation and then charges significantly more for additional use.

(Original Post Here)

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