A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
May 20, 2008
2. Supply –
If You Want to Build Here, Save Some Water
Voice of
Water District to study energy-efficiency efficacy
The Desert Sun
FALLBROOK: Water officials at work on new drought plan
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If You Want to Build Here, Save Some Water
Voice of
By ROB DAVIS, staff writer
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BLINKLISTFor the first time, the city of
The city's Water Department is requiring
In the UTC project, new stores and residences will use more water, which the developers will offset by using reclaimed water -- non-drinkable treated sewage -- for irrigation. The company will also pay for other existing developments to do the same, enabling those using drinking water for irrigation to switch to reclaimed, non-potable water. That would boost the amount of drinking water in the city's system, neutralizing the expansion's increased demand.
For now, the policy is informal, hasn't received City Council support and has no violation penalty.
"This is all relatively new stuff, and it's clearly being driven by an increased awareness of what the water supply conditions for
Barrett said he looks to offsets as a way to address a state law requiring an assessment of large developments' water supplies. The 6-year-old law, designed to ensure that supplies keep pace with growth, mandates that cities provide what is termed a "water supply assessment" for large developments: Subdivisions with more than 500 homes, hotels with more than 500 rooms, offices serving 1,000 or more people or shopping centers with more than a half-million square feet. The assessment must verify the city has a sufficient supply planned to accommodate the growth.
Most projects in the city would not rise to that level. Few are large enough to trigger the assessment. A
The world of water once looked starkly different than it does today, when climate change was an uncertain concept that hadn't gained widespread acceptance and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta appeared to be a nearly limitless supply of water for
But the West is warming, mountainous snow packs that store vital supplies of water for
As a result, the city is taking steps to make sure that the water demand it expects in 2030 stays level. By then, the city plans to annually use about 20 percent more water than it does today. That increase is the result of models that project water consumption for parcels across the city. If a large project exceeds its planned allocation, Barrett said the city will require it to offset, or neutralize, the excess, as is the case with
Offsets are commonly used in environmental mitigation, but are new to the local world of water. Developments that impact threatened habitat are required to protect similar ecosystems offsite. The practice of carbon offsets has similarly gained acceptance as a cost-effective -- though largely unregulated and unverifiable -- way to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Several websites allow people to calculate how much carbon dioxide they emit and offer to take payment to plant trees, a step that reduces atmospheric carbon.
"The concept of offsets is getting traction ... because you're adding demand in the middle of a crisis," said Ken Weinberg, the San Diego County Water Authority's director of water resources. "One way to address that is to not add demand. That solves the problem because you're not relying on a supply that's not there to address demand that is."
The city has generally held demand steady since 1990, despite adding 200,000 residents. The city's population increased 18 percent; water consumption increased 2 percent, the result of an array of conservation initiatives such as the installation of low-flow showerheads in homes across the city.
The concept of water neutrality to address future demand is not chaptered anywhere in the city's policies. Barrett said he is exploring the idea of water-neutral development on a case-by-case basis and would eventually make a proposal to City Council.
"We're not at the point where we've worked out the details," he said. "We're sort of flying by the seat of our pants."
City Attorney Mike Aguirre has criticized the city's past reviews of water supplies for large developments, saying the process had amounted to little more than a rubber stamp. He dismissed offsets as a marginal contribution.
"Offsets tend to be more fiction than fact," he said. "Offsets are difficult to monitor and police and usually go by the wayside.
Aguirre questioned whether the city has accurately accounted for its long-term water supplies. The city's plan was created in 2005 and includes no mention of the potential impacts of climate change or the delta's uncertainty. It will not be updated until 2010.
"What's the point of having the 20-Gallon Challenge, asking some people to give up 20 gallons when you're asking more people to come in and use more?" Aguirre asked, referring to the water authority's conservation push.
While water assessments can be hard to prove, said Craig Benedetto, a spokesman for several developers, supply strains can be addressed by focusing on creating local supplies like recycled water.
"It's like proving electricity is going to be there," Benedetto said of the assessments. "It's still a subjective conclusion. The other option if you don’t believe the forecasts is to stop all development. So do you kill the economy or think about water reuse?"
In the future, the smelt decision and any impacts from climate change will hurt San Diegans less than today, Weinberg said, because the authority, which provides the city with most of its water, has long planned to reduce its reliance on imported water from the delta and
"Over time, that portion at risk is a smaller part of our portfolio," he said. "The difficulty now is that people are looking for answers and there aren't any yet."
While the state debates potential answers to the delta's problems, such as a canal around the delta's periphery, offsets are likely to continue to attract attention, Weinberg said.
"It's a time of uncertainty right now because of the delta," he said. "It's what's driving the train toward offsets as an approach for now -- until we figure out these other problems."#
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2008/05/20/environment/01water052008.txt
Water District to study energy-efficiency efficacy
As the hot summer months stress the electrical grid, customers are regularly encouraged to limit their electricity use to non-peak power demand time periods as much as possible.
The Coachella Valley Water District is now involved in a study to quantify the energy saving and other benefits of limiting water use during peak times as well.
The district is partnering with the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) and Water and Energy Consulting to conduct the study, which is funded largely through a $400,000 grant from the California Energy Commission.
Energy use associated with water is substantial. Statewide, energy directly associated with water deliveries accounts for 8 percent of all energy consumption. Factor in the amount of energy needed for wastewater disposal and water heating and cooling and the percentage jumps to a fifth of total energy consumption in
The 18-month time-of-use study begins this month and continues through fall 2009. As many as 300
Where possible, homes and businesses with water meters featuring automated reading already installed will be used. As needed, additional "smart" meters will be installed to ensure the study is sufficient in scope. The meters enable the customer to determine at exactly what time and how much water is consumed, and quite often for what purpose.
Water conservation is another objective of the study, as is reducing the water district's energy costs.
The water district's study and its goal of reducing water consumption in peak-use times "is right in line with our energy-saving goals," he said.
Krista Clark, ACWA's project manager for the study, called it "an example of the water industry taking a leadership role in helping
Cutting back on energy use during peak demand times helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
"It's good for the environment and the consumer," she said.
Water district general manager Steve Robbins said officials look forward to the study and its findings.
"We are anxious to review the data, and to get a sense as to whether consumers are willing and able to change both their water-use habits and their energy-use habits," he said.
"We believe this study will help our district, help our consumers and help the state in its efforts to manage valuable resources."#
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/NEWS01/805200318/1026/news12
FALLBROOK: Water officials at work on new drought plan
By TOM PFINGSTEN - Staff Writer
FALLBROOK ---- Water officials began the process of updating the Fallbrook Public Utility District's conservation plan on Monday, preparing for what experts predict as a dry spell made worse by man-made water shortages in
The new policies under consideration call for voluntary cutbacks of 10 percent and 20 percent in stages one and two, followed by mandatory conservation in stages three and four. The document is derived from the San Diego County Water Authority's Drought Management Plan.
On Monday, the board appointed a committee to review the rules and adapt them to fit Fallbrook's needs.
General Manager Keith Lewinger said before Monday's meeting that the new rules will probably take effect this summer, and that he expects them to be put to use by this time next year.
He said state officials on April 30 declared 2008 a "critically dry year," with less precipitation than usual.
Add to that the consequences of a judge's ruling last summer that pumps in the delta region that supply much of Southern California's water must be shut off at certain times to protect a fish called the delta smelt, and you've got a recipe for potential drought, said Lewinger.
The water district's current rules governing residential water use during a drought date back to 1991, when
Lewinger said the new ordinance will include similar steps to prevent customers from wasting water.
In a stage one conservation alert ---- known as a "drought watch" ---- customers would be asked to voluntarily cut back 10 percent of their water usage by not washing down paved surfaces, fixing leaks and watering only before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
In stage three, known as "drought critical," customers would be required to cut back by as much as 40 percent, to water landscaping only two assigned days a week and to cease washing vehicles except with high-efficiency wash systems.
Stage four would be called a "drought emergency" and would be used only in emergencies, such as an earthquake breaking a pipeline, Lewinger said.
He said even though it's been years since the district seriously asked customers to conserve, usually they're pretty good about heeding the call.
"Typically, they've done very well," said Lewinger. "When residential customers are asked to cut back, and they're given a good explanation of why, they respond very well ---- especially during emergencies, when we have a pipeline outage or something like that."
He said the district may also enact a special rate schedule that would hike rates with each new conservation stage, "to help convince customers to cut back."
That move probably won't come until after the new conservation measures are approved, he said.#
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