Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
May 13, 2009
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
Sacramento
Sacramento
Rebate fund for saving water ran dry in hours
San Diego
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Sacramento
Sacramento
By Matt Weiser
The rules are not necessarily a response to a third year of
Rather, the goal is to update an antiquated conservation ordinance and make it a bit easier to enlighten scofflaws.
"It's kind of a day of reckoning for individuals who have been living in a different behavior pattern with water use," warned Councilman Kevin McCarty.
Several observers praised the city for finally updating the rules, but warned it should be viewed as a first step.
"It's also a small step, and I'd like to encourage the council to look forward to some other measures you have to take," said Chris Brown, executive director of the California Urban Water Conservation Council. For instance, he said, "Studies have shown, in the Southwest, that two-times-a-week watering is sufficient for turfgrass."
Though many Sacramentans don't seem to know it, city rules have long limited landscape irrigation to three days a week, based on odd or even street addresses. Those rules will remain in place most of the year.
The biggest change in the new rules, however, limits landscape irrigation to only one day a week during winter, defined as the period in which standard time is in effect – generally November through early March.
Irrigation will be banned on permitted watering days between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. – two hours longer than under the old rules.
Also, it is now forbidden to wash a car without a shutoff nozzle attached to the hose. Cars can only be washed on permitted watering days.
Perhaps most significantly, the fine structure is changing. As before, a first violation earns a warning. But now a second violation costs $25 – waived if the perpetrator completes an education class.
Third violations are $100, and additional violations are $500 each.
Previously, no fines were imposed until the third violation. This, city officials said, made enforcement difficult, sometimes requiring repeated visits to a property to correct a single violation.
The new rules take effect in 30 days and are considered important to prevent water waste because the vast majority of residential water customers – about 104,000 – are unmetered. Until customers see their actual water use in monthly bills, and feel it in their pocketbooks, encouraging conservation is difficult.
The city has a plan to meter those connections gradually by 2025 to comply with state law.
Much of the state continues to suffer from a third year of
The
"That being said … and we don't know what the weather is going to be like next year," said
The city also risks state enforcement against water-rights holders who abuse the resource, a threat driven by the reality that water is being stretched thin by a growing population.
"It's very, very important to really impress upon our citizens that things are different," said Councilman Rob Fong. "This is a great first step, but we have to recognize we have a way to go."
Current
Folsom and
Spring rain and snow have improved the picture since then, at least locally. The American River is predicted to have near-normal runoff this year. Folsom
"We're in a lot better position than we were in January and early February when some of those (
As a result, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has told some urban contractors in the region to expect supplies to increase beyond the 65 percent delivery forecast in April. Its next forecast is expected May 20. #
http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/1856442.html
Rebate fund for saving water ran dry in hours
By David Hasemyer, staff writer
Online: For more on the SoCal Water$mart program, call (888) 376-3314 or go to socalwatersmart.com
In April, a rebate program that rewards water-conservation efforts ran out of money in the first eight days of the month. May's funding didn't last two hours.
Now the demand on the SoCal Water$mart program is so great that the money is gone for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends June 30, and officials are considering revamping the system.
The program, administered by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, provides rebates for installation of water-efficient washers and toilets, synthetic grass, weather-smart irrigation control systems and specialized sprinkler heads.
Until April, the rebates were guaranteed to anyone who could prove their purchases through contractor records or sales receipts. Facing a funding shortage, the district last month started requiring people to call for preapproval, or a “rebate reservation,” bestowed on a first-come first-served basis.
While the district says the rush for rebates is a sign that water users are embracing conservation, officials also acknowledge the aggravation it has caused some consumers.
“We did hear very loud and clear that the continuation of the reservation system would be a source of continued frustration,” said Debra Man, the district's chief operating officer.
She said that June will be a time to “restructure an effective conservation program.”
According to the district, the $125,000 allocation for May was exhausted in about 1½ hours, with 624 rebate reservations granted.
Although those who missed out were told to try again next month, a notice on the Water$mart program's Web site and hotline now says all rebates have been allocated through the end of June.
Otay Ranch resident Julie Beel, who delayed installing 450 square feet of turf in her torn-up yard until she could receive a rebate, started dialing when the lines opened the morning of May 1. All she got was a busy signal.
“I understand there is a limited amount of money, but there's got to be an easier way than having a gazillion people jamming the lines,” she said.
Beel eventually had her husband start dialing, too. He got tantalizingly close.
“He finally got an automated answering system that told him to press 1 for this and then press 2 for this,” she said. “By the time he got to where he was supposed to be for the rebates, the machine told him they were gone and to try again next month.”
With that option now gone, Beel said she might have the turf installed anyway.
The rebate program started in July with $4 million taken from revenue generated by the sale of water to districts in six Southern California counties, including the 24 water districts in
During the first nine months of the program, the district paid $4.2 million on 35,235 claims.
In the next fiscal year, the rebate budget will drop back to $4 million.
San Diego County Water Authority officials are exploring ways to help cover the shortfall in the metropolitan district's rebate funding, though authority spokesman John Liarakos said many factors have to be considered.
“We are working to reinstate the rebate program for our members, but there are a number of hoops that we have to go through first,” including finding the money, he said.
Consumers like Ed White, a
“The bottom line is installing the turf is a smart move that will save me money in the long run and will save the city water,” he said. #
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