What’s Next for Drought Struck Calif: Water Rationing, Drought Numbers

SAN GABRIEL VALLEY-You probably know your Social Security number, your driver’s license number and perhaps the latest wrinkle in mattress marketing, your sleep number.

But do you know your drought number? 

The latter represents the amount of water you are allowed to use per day. If you don’t know it, you probably should. Not knowing could cost you money. As California’s severe drought moves into a fourth year, state and local water agencies are working on something called “allocation-based rate structures,” a kind of precursor to water rationing that’s all the rage in Sacramento and in some areas such as Santa Cruz, Irvine and Santa Monica. 

Here’s how it works: Your local water company, special district or city assigns you and your household a number in gallons — a daily water allocation. Usually, one number applies to maximum indoor water use, i.e. showers, kitchen and bathroom faucets, dishwashers, clothes washers, etc., and an extra allocation is assigned for outdoor use such as lawn irrigation. 

Using census records, aerial photography and satellite imagery, an agency can determine a property’s efficient water usage. 

At the Irvine Ranch Water District, number of residents, amount of landscaping and even medical needs are factored into a household’s water allocation or water budget. 

“We want you to stay within that budget. That way we know you are using water in an efficient way,” according to an instructional video on the Orange County water agency’s website. 

While some call it a more equal way to meter out mandatory water conservation, others call it social engineering. Some say the idea simply will not work.  (Read the rest here)  

-cw

 

 

CityWatch

Vol 12 Issue 79

Pub: Sep 30, 2014