CALIFORNIA WATER CRISIS-The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities reports that city water customers saved over 1 billion gallons of water in the month of August. The City’s water demands were approximately 112 million gallons of water per day last month, as compared to 147 million gallons of water per day in August 2013. This is approximately a 24 percent reduction. The water savings is equivalent to the annual water usage of approximately 7200 homes.
City of Sacramento departments achieved a 34-percent water use reduction, compared to August 2013. The City was able to achieve this savings by implementing the following drought mitigation actions:
● Reduction in parks and recreational facility outdoor irrigation, excluding high use sports fields;
● Reducing watering of landscaped medians on City streets and roadways;
● Reduction in car washing of the City fleet;
● Placing signage in restrooms and other areas of City buildings to remind of the urgent need to save water;
● Closely monitoring water consumption in mechanical cooling systems and coil cleaning; and
● Inventorying plumbing fixtures in City facilities to find opportunities to convert to low water use fixtures.
“Continuing to exceed the 20 percent goal is not possible without the outstanding efforts that the City’s customers have made over the year,” said Bill Busath, Interim Director of the Department of Utilities. “We thank them for their water conservation endeavors. With this accomplishment, it is important to remember that the end of the drought is not near. We must continue to work together to hit our conservation target to avoid further water use reductions. It is essential for customers to follow the before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. reduced watering schedule. The water conservation efforts today are laying the groundwork even after the drought is finished.”
Increased drought awareness has brought attention to the City’s water conservation codes and has driven up calls for investigation of water misuse. Since January 1, the City received more than 15,400 calls for water conservation investigations. This is compared to 965 calls for investigation last year over the same time period.
To help City water customers save water, the Department of Utilities continues to do the following:
- Provide restaurants with table tents that explain water is served upon request;
- Insert utility bill stuffers highlighting conservation tips and tools;
- Encouraging water conservation on billboard and bus advertising;
- Post water conservation tips on websites such as Facebook, Google, and Sacbee.com;
- Offer the River-Friendly Landscaping Rebate Program (cash for grass) to assist customers create beautiful landscapes that use water efficiently;
- Offer High Efficiency Toilet Rebates and Washing Machine Rebates; and
- Re-establish the Water Conservation Ambassador program and training volunteers to assist with the water conservation efforts throughout the city.
(This article posted originally at publicceo.com)
-cw
CityWatch
Pub: Sep 18, 2014
