With Water Cuts, Businesses Could Supply LA, Frisco, San Diego

May 29, 2009

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If California businesses adopted proper water efficiency measures, enough water could be saved to supply San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, according to a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Commercial, industrial and institutional sectors, which use an estimated 2.5 million acre-feet of water a year in California, need to adopt a variety of measures to reduce their water use, according to the report.

The state needs to prioritize water conservation above increasing water supply.
The state should levy a Public Goods Charge on water sales to help fund water efficiency programs.
The state should set a target to reduce water use 20 percent within water agencies.
The California Energy Commission should set standards for water efficiency in buildings, appliances and landscape irrigation.
The state should create a general permit for using recycled water for landscape irrigation.
The state should encourage volumetric pricing for sewer services. Research shows that a 10 percent increase in water price causes a 2-3 percent drop in demand.
The state should decouple water agencies sales from revenue.

After residential requirements, office buildings, golf courses, schools, oil refineries, food processing facilities and high-tech manufacturers are among the leading water consumers in California.

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Reader Comments

California is a wonderful example of many water issues. With rights dating back to the Gold Rush, it is and will continue to be a mess for some time. Take the example that the Capitol City of Sacramento, does not have water metering and one can begin to appreciate the challenge.
With the need for water for agriculture in a drought prone area, California has done a poor job of getting to the core. It could learn from the lesson of it’s power grid. California uses 40% less electricity per capita than the National Average. Perhaps we’ll catch up on the water distribution and usage issue.
By the way, Frisco is a city in Texas. The accepted shortening for San Francisco is SF. Los Angeles isn’t Angel.

Tom Larsen | May 31st, 2009

Installing advanced water meters for all water users is a fast and effective way to dramatically reduce water usage – studies show by as much as 15%. Tulare, CA is installing wireless meters that can be read by workers from their vehicles and that help detect leaks more quickly, before water losses mount. Much of the cost is being covered by the benefits of more accurate meter readings, lower water usage that permits the city to put off drilling new and expensive wells, and utility and operational savings from water and energy efficiency measures implemented in city buildings.

Jeff Van Ess | June 2nd, 2009