Let’s turn entrepreneurs loose to invent & sell tools to help us conserve water, says Ruth Galanter

Good commentary from former Los Angeles city councilwoman Ruth Galanter, who begins by pointing out how up until the 1990’s, the average household toilet used a whopping 8 gallons per flush. A city ordinance passed during the drought required all new development use lower-flush toilets, and DWP jumped on the bandwagon, replacing over 1 million water-guzzling toilets. The result: a lot of water conserved that we don’t have to think about.

During that drought, gray-water systems were piloted, and many were purchased. But once the drought was declared over, the industry faded away. Says Ruth in this Daily News commentary:

While government can still play a major role in encouraging conservation through demonstrations like the gray-water project, government is no longer alone. The private sector, moved as always by the desire to make money, is champing at the bit.

Consider the waterless urinal, which requires government approval but not government development. Where government used to have to be the innovator, today government officials need only regulate to ensure public health and safety.

In Southern California, the drought is never over. It is time to revive the gray-water industry and turn entrepreneurs loose to invent and sell us other tools that will make us conserve – no matter how we feel about the environment.

To read the full text of the commentary from the Daily News, click here.

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