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Long Beach hits 13th consecutive record low month for water use in May

Posted by: Maven on June 2, 2009 at 3:53 pm

From the Long Beach Water Department, this press release:

The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners today has announced that the city of Long Beach has set a 10-year record low for water consumption in May, marking the 13th consecutive month the city has achieved a new record low. For the fiscal year, which began October 1, 2008, Long Beach water use is 16 percent below the 10-year average water use. Early last month, the Board released new information on per capita water use for the city of Long Beach, showing a reduction to 105 gallons per person, per day, which is the lowest it’s been since 1945. According to a recent article in the Sacramento Bee, the average per capita potable water use in the United States is 147; California is 164, Los Angeles is 138; San Diego is 154; Sacramento is 278.

“Much like our State’s fiscal crisis, we are dealing with a permanent, structural water supply deficit,” said Kevin L. Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. “While long-term solutions to this deficit are also needed, we must make some hard choices on how much water we’re spending (ie. consuming) right now. We welcome the water conservation programs being implemented in California’s two largest cities this week, and wish them much success.”

On April 14th, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) announced that it will cut water deliveries to southern California by 10 percent beginning July 1st, due to three years of below average rainfall, supply constrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the real possibility that current and future regulatory restrictions in the Delta will prevent the state from adequately replenishing water supply reserves, even when wetter conditions return. Even though nearly half of Long Beach’s supply is imported water purchased from the MWD, the Long Beach Water Department foresees no impact on the city of Long Beach by these cuts in deliveries due to the city’s record-breaking conservation efforts.

On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board of Water Commissioners issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. The Board’s Declaration and implementation of permanent outdoor watering prohibitions in 2007 was specifically necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California; dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California, along with climate realities.

Long Beach Water is an urban, Southern California retail water supply agency, and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

May 2009 Water Consumption by the Numbers:
Note: The 10-year historical average is from FY 98 – FY 07, which are the 10 years prior to conservation. The 5-year historical average is from FY 03 – FY 07, which are the 5 years prior to conservation.

Month of May
10-yr High: 6,300 (FY 04)
Historical 10-yr Avg: 5,900
Historical 5-yr Avg: 5,900
Actual 10-yr Avg: 5,900
10-yr Low: 5,450 (FY 98)
May FY 08: 5,450
May FY 09: 5,100

Of Note:
– May FY 09 is 14.2% below Historical 10-year average
– May FY 09 is 13.6% below Historical 5-year average
– May FY 09 is 14.2% below the Actual 10-year average
– May FY 09 is 6.7% below May FY 08

May Year-to-Date
10-yr High: 43,850 (FY 04)
Historical 10-yr Avg: 41,950
Historical 5-yr Avg: 41,950
Actual 10-yr Avg: 41,850
10-yr Low: 40,100 (FY 98)
YTD May FY 08: 39,400
YTD May FY 09: 35,100

Of Note:
– May FY 09 YTD is 16.3% below Historical 10-year average
– May FY 09 YTD is 16.3% below Historical 5-year average
– May FY 09 YTD is 16.2% below the Actual 10-year average
– May FY 09 YTD is 10.9% below May FY 08 YTD

May FY 09 to May FY 08 Comparison
Demand
May FY 08: 5,450 AF
May FY 09: 5,100 AF

Precipitation:
Normal*: 0.23 inches
May FY 08: 0.18 inches
May FY 09: 0.00 inches

Temperature:
Normal*: 65.9 degrees
May FY 08: 64.6 degrees
May FY 09: 66.3 degrees
* Normal period 1971 to 2000 (as defined by National Weather Service)

Of Note:
– Precipitation for May 2009 was too low to be measured, but normal precipitation for May is negligible, so deviation from normal is also negligible. Temperature deviation from normal was also negligible. May 2009 temperature was almost 2 degrees lower than May 2008, yet May 2009 demand was lower.

Running 12-month Total
Historical 12-month Average: 68,128
Recent 12 months: 57,555
Recent 12-month Conservation: 15.5%

Ryan J. Alsop
Director of Government & Public Affairs
Long Beach Water
Brennan S. Thomas Administration Building

June 2, 2009 · Filed Under Conservation, Southern California, Water Agency News

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