Water Education Foundation
This is just one post in the Development & Water Category
Click here to view all posts

How serious is our water shortage? Enough to suspend new water connections?

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 12, 2008 at 7:46 am

From the North County Times, this commentary by Gerald Watson, president of Bonsall Area for a Rural Community, which starts out by recapping recent events: Governor declares shortage and Metropolitan urges conservation. Then:

Why conserve? What are the pieces of the water puzzle?

First, agriculture users represent only 6 percent of Metropolitan’s demand. Interim Agriculture Water Program users represent only about 30 percent of that 6 percent demand. They represent less than 2 percent of Metropolitan’s demand, proving its demand is overwhelmingly due to residential consumption.

Water agencies are asking the public to save 20 gallons a day, per person. Since the average home uses about 748 gallons a day, this represents a savings of 7 percent. However, compliance will probably not exceed 50 percent, resulting in a savings of less than 3.5 percent.

Since housing development has been growing at around 1.5 percent per year since 1995, this represents an increased water demand —- and where is all this “new water” coming from to support new developments?

Consequently, your conservation savings are going to support new development.

Clearly, residential users will never voluntarily reduce their water usage when they see that these savings are being passed on to developers. They will only conserve water when they perceive that these savings are beneficial to them.

How can Metropolitan and the County Water Authority justify new water connections for new developments in a “water emergency” when they are imposing water restrictions on existing users? They need to assert their “emergency authority” and mandate that new-water connections be suspended during water emergencies.

We either have adequate water and there is no need to conserve, or we have a “water emergency” and we need to conserve, which requires suspending new-water connections.

Read more from the North County Times by clicking here.

June 12, 2008 · Filed Under Development & Water

Comments

Leave a Reply