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L.A.’s water misers: “the current rules are working; it’s not time to throw them out,” says editorial

Posted by: Maven on July 29, 2009 at 7:24 am

From the Los Angeles Times, this editorial:

Los Angeles residents were told to cut their water use this summer, and they did: Consumption in June hit a 32-year low. Local rainfall continues to lag behind normal levels, the Sierra snowpack remains light and allocation cutbacks from the Metropolitan Water District are still in effect, so this is no time to start washing down the driveway. But the point is that, when Angelenos needed to quickly and drastically conserve, they came through.

Was it because the Department of Water and Power unleashed a snitch campaign encouraging neighbors to turn each other in for running their sprinklers on some day other than Mondays and Thursdays? Probably not. Was it because of roving DWP enforcement patrols? They issued citations, but to just a small fraction of the populace. Was it because of a tough new rate structure that rewards conservation and penalizes waste? Perhaps, although many ratepayers haven’t seen the full impact of the structure because the summer is still young and not all the bills have arrived in the mailbox.

Let’s consider the very real possibility that Los Angeles residents saved water because they take the drought seriously. They have a high degree of environmental awareness. They want to conserve — even if that means their lawns may turn brown.

Read more of this editorial from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.

July 29, 2009 · Filed Under Conservation, Southern California

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