Water Rate Hikes: The New Normal?

Five news reports out today highlight the increasingly frequent answer to water scarcity caused by aging water distribution infrastructure, growing populations, drought and changing precip patterns; rising water rates.

Water rate hike passes Newark Post By Doug Rainey Newark City Council members approved a hefty 35 percent water rate increase for both residents and non-residents. That is on top of a rate ..

Nassau communities pay highest water rates, face hike Newsday Pennsylvania-based Aqua is proposing a 27 percent rate hike for the fire districts it serves. The legislators urged their constituents to attend a meeting ...

PUC to probe water rate hike request PoconoNews.net The Commission voted 5-0 to investigate the proposed $281927 (68.9 percent) increase for water revenues and the proposed $318297 (45.5 percent) increase for ...

Customers Protest Water Rates Amid Conflicting Reports Bell Gardens Sun By Elizabeth Hsing-Huei Chou, EGP Staff Writer Some customers are balking at the latest water rate hikes from the Central Basin Municipal Water District and ...

Residents facing a utilities rate hike Tampa Bay Newspapers 29 Pinellas County Commissioners will meet to decide how much more they will charge the cities for water and sewer services. The new rate hike becomes ...

These are just the stories published today, and it wasn't a particularly heavy water news day. So if you're getting hit with rate increases, click here to find out the easiest and most effective way to reduce your bill, and your water footprint.

California Regions Set New Conservation Records in Responding to the Drought

More good news concerning CA's response to Year 3 of the drought. First up, the AP is reporting that Los Angeles has reduced its water use by record amounts this year:

The nation's second-largest city cut water use by an overall 17 percent in July compared to a year earlier, officials said Wednesday.
...
The Department of Water and Power, which has 680,000 water customers and 1.4 million electric customers, said single-family homes cut water use nearly 21 percent, multifamily properties cut use more than 8 percent, businesses cut usage nearly 22 percent and government properties reduced usage more than 34 percent.

The story goes on to talk about another, mostly hidden, advantage of cutting water use:

Huge reductions in electricity usage were also reported.

The DWP saved a record 318 gigawatt-hours for the fiscal year ending June 30, an amount that equals removal of 53,000 households from the grid and avoids 178,700 metric tons of greenhouses gases.

LA isn't alone in its success, as San Diego is seeing similar decreases in water use:

In June and July, water consumption countywide plunged 21 percent and 16 percent, respectively, compared with the same months last year.
...
Of the 24 water agencies in the region, 19 recorded savings of 10 percent or more in the past four months, compared with the same period in 2008. The top five performers were Camp Pendleton, Poway, Lakeside, Vallecitos and Ramona.

So, while the water crisis continues to grow, some areas are taking it in stride and really making a difference. Hopefully they will provide an example for other cities and regions to follow.

I wonder if anyone in Sacramento is paying attention...

In Sunday's Washington Post, an opinion piece showed up that illustrates an important point about water use in America: It isn't all about drought. We're still a growing country, and as population increases, so too will the need for water.

In the United States, we constantly fret about running out of oil. But we should be paying more attention to another limited natural resource: water. A water crisis is threatening many parts of the country -- not just the arid West.
...

In Florida, excessive groundwater pumping has dried up scores of lakes. In South Carolina, a paper company recently furloughed hundreds of workers because low river flows prevented the company from discharging its wastewater. That state's battle with North Carolina over the Catawba River has reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Water has become so contentious nationwide that more than 30 states are fighting with their neighbors over water.

Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes, is too shallow to float fully loaded freighters, dramatically increasing shipping costs. North of Boston, the Ipswich River has gone dry in five of the past eight years. In 2007, the hamlet of Orme, Tenn., ran out of water entirely, forcing it to truck in supplies from Alabama.

Droughts make matters worse, but the real problem isn't shrinking water levels. It's population growth. Since California's last major drought ended in 1992, the state's population has surged by a staggering 7 million people. Some 100,000 people move to the Atlanta area every year. Over the next four decades, the country will add 120 million people, the equivalent of one person every 11 seconds.

But with most of our rivers already damned, most of our groundwater sources already tapped, aging infrastructure leaking billions of gallons of water a day and climate change affecting the distribution of rainfall, how can we continue to meet the need for water? We're just going to have to get smarter about how we use the resource. A lot smarter in fact.

Landscape Runoff Worse Than Thought

Two stories published today covered findings presented at the American Chemical Society conference in Washington, D.C. Water Technology Online reports that:

The amount of water pollution contributed by homes may have been underestimated by up to 50 percent, according to researchers who presented their findings during the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), being held here through August 20.

According to an ACS August 19 press release, the study of eight residential areas in California’s Sacramento and Orange counties found that runoff from rainfall and lawn-watering ends up in municipal storm drains. It washes fertilizers, pesticides and other contaminants into storm drains, and they end up in rivers, lakes and other bodies of water.

“Results from our sampling and monitoring study revealed high detection frequencies of pollutants such as pesticides and pathogen indicators at all sites,” researcher Lorence Oki said of the study. Darren Haver and colleagues joined Oki in the study.

Scientific American's coverage noted that:

Water that runs off from these green acres typically picks up a load of fertilizers, pesticides and other potentially toxic chemicals, and washes them—via sewers or directly—into lakes, rivers, streams and even the ocean. Once there, joined by similar runoff from agriculture, the chemicals can drive a host of environmental problems, ranging from dead zones to contaminated fish.

Previous estimates of how much water pollution derived from the suburbs was based simply on rainfall. But horticulturalist Lorence Oki of the University of California, Davis, and his colleagues found that sprinklers and other irrigation techniques also led to significant runoff that, in some cases, carried more pollution with it from the eight neighborhoods studied in Sacramento and Orange counties than runoff after a rain storm.

Great stories by both publications, though honestly, it's not really news to us here at Hydropoint. After all, our controllers have been proven in CalEPA studies to reduce runoff pollution by 71%. So what's the bottom line here? Home landscapes contribute 50% more runoff pollution than previously thought, in some cases irrigation is responsible for more pollution than rainfall, and you can reduce your contribution to this problem by nearly 3/4 by installing a WeatherTRAK controller. Big problem, simple solution.

New Study Details Groundwater Use Issues in California

The USGS just released results of a study showing a mixed bag of good and bad news for California groundwater users. Among other things, the study found:

• Overall, groundwater levels are declining in the southern, Tulare Basin portion of the San Joaquin Valley as more water is pumped out than recharges naturally. But the southern valley also shows the most promise for large-scale artificial groundwater recharge, particularly along the eastern side with its coarse-grained soils from river and alluvial-fan sediments.

• By contrast, groundwater levels in the Sacramento Valley and the northern portion of the San Joaquin Valley are generally stable.

• As the state faces its third year of below-average precipitation, groundwater supplies are under increasing pressure, according to data gathered since 2003. Landowners are drilling more and deeper wells, and underground water levels are starting to drop once again – as they did during previous droughts in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

It goes on to explain why groundwater is so critical for California:

The Central Valley is more than 400 miles long, comprised of the water-rich Sacramento Valley in the north and the drier San Joaquin Valley in the south. One of the nation’s most productive agricultural regions, the Central Valley has the largest groundwater system in the state. The groundwater basin, or aquifer, contains one-fifth of all groundwater pumped in the nation.

It is, in effect, California’s largest reservoir.

But unlike above ground reservoirs, once drawn down it takes more than single good winter's worth of precipitation to refill it. This story is being repeated all over the globe. If we don't get smarter about water management soon, we could end up in a situation that makes today look like the good old days of abundant water.

The Hits Keep Comin'

Escondido is the latest California community hit with rate hikes.

Despite objections from coin-operated laundries and residents, Escondido officials will hike water rates by 8 percent on Sept. 1 and increase sewer rates by 5 percent on Jan. 1.

The higher rates, which city officials blamed on the California drought and infrastructure problems at Escondido's sewer treatment plant, will increase the monthly bill for a typical family by $3.28.

But excessive users could face much larger increases because of penalties under a conservation policy implemented in February, city officials said.

While the increase is moderate for the average family, local businesses and organizations appear to be bearing the brunt of the increase:

Vivian Doering from the Escondido Woman's Club said being classified as a restaurant has spiked monthly bills at the club from $61 to $235 in just three months.

Escondido isn't alone; there are stories in the news today about water rate increases in OK, NE, NJ, LA, and OR.

Of course, they can all offset these rate increases by reducing their water use. And it's easy.

Baby Steps for Sacramento

It looks like Sacramento might be getting the tiniest bit serious about conserving water. As reported in the Sacramento Bee, the city will be offering residents classes on how to properly irrigate their lawns while still saving water.

The city of Sacramento offers residents a free class Aug. 29 to learn how to use water wisely and comply with new watering rules.

The Saturday class runs from 10 a.m. to noon at the city's Water Conservation Office, 2260 Glen Ellen Circle. Participants will learn about new watering rules that took effect June 12, which restrict landscape irrigation to alternate days and certain hours on those days, among other things.

They'll also learn how to maintain a beautiful yard while reducing water consumption.

I guess it's a start, though offering just one class seems like a guarantee that at most, a few hundred might participate. Talk about a drop in the bucket. If they sent a few city employees to the class though, it might just have some long term benefits, considering their recent track record of water waste. Of course they could just let technology take care of things, and save even more water without all the labor...

Water: A Critical Consideration for Corporate Management

The world's second largest sovereign wealth fund and the biggest single investor in European stocks, Norway's Government Pension Fund, is increasingly pushing the companies in its portfolio to factor environmental and sustainability concerns into their management plans. Why is an investment fund putting environmental concerns front and center?

Norway's wealth fund, the biggest owner of European stocks, believes that environmental factors may sooner or later hit earnings and profitability of the companies it owns and sees its green ambitions as part its wider push for long-term profits.

While this in itself isn't news (the fund has been pro-sustainability for some time), the latest addition to their list of environmental concerns corporations need to address is:

Another new priority for the fund is dealing with water management, said Kvam, because continued availability of water resources will have a "huge impact" on how the Norwegian fund will develop in the decades to come.

Kvam said water was an important input or production factor for about 1,100 companies in the fund's current portfolio, whose combined market value is some $43 billion.

"The shortage of water and increased demand is going to create risks for huge amounts of companies going forward and we as investors need to know that the companies are managing these risks," she said in an interview.

It's nice to see that European financial markets are recognizing the growing importance of sustainable water use. Will American investors follow suit? Just think of the advances we could make if major investors like CalPERS took similar steps... Of course, some forward looking U.S. companies are already responding to the issue. Let's hope more get on board soon.

New Watering Rules Will Require Adjustments; Why Not Automate Them?

Across the U.S., water agencies are implementing landscape watering restrictions that limit watering to just 2 or 3 days per week. This presents a conundrum for gardeners seeking to keep plants lush and healthy while they comply with conservation regulations. See this Press-Enterprise story about a homeowner caught between a rock and a hard place as she struggles to balance the aesthetic requirements of her HOA with the City of Temecula's new limits on watering >>

Water agencies from California to South Carolina recommend smart controllers like the WeatherTRAK system because these devices simplify compliance with watering rules and ensure plants receive the water they need, and not a drop more.

New Research

The Central Valley Business Times writes today of new research that shows California has enough water to meet it's needs, it's just a question of managing it well.

A new report Tuesday argues that California has enough water supply right now to avoid drought-like conditions, if it were properly managed.

“California has already developed enough water supplies to satisfy our needs into the foreseeable future by utilizing existing infrastructure and existing cost effective technologies,” says the report by a group calling itself the Environmental Water Caucus.

“Water efficient technologies and approaches … can save or reduce water consumption in urban areas by as much as 5 million acre feet a year by 2030 compared with current trends – enough water to support a population growth of 29,000,000 people,” the report says. That would be more than current population projections for the next 40 years.

It's all about smart water management. Not only will it solve the issues of water scarcity, the side effects benefit us as well, as today's company press release highlights:

HydroPoint Data Systems, Inc., provider of the WeatherTRAK® Smart Water Management solution, reveals that its subscribers reduce peak water and energy demand by eliminating outdoor water waste. During the summer months, water and energy consumption typically skyrocket as commercial and residential users react to higher temperatures by applying more water to landscapes and powering up cooling systems.

Water and energy are intrinsically related; energy is needed to transport and deliver water, while generating power requires massive quantities of water. The U.S. EPA links water and energy savings, equating 1 gallon of water to approximately 4 watt hours of power. Nearly 20 percent of California’s electricity consumption is attributable to water-related energy use, according to the California Energy Commission. In the interest of national security, the Department of Energy launched the Water-Energy Nexus program to encourage the development and use of clean technologies that reduce water-related energy demand.

You can read the whole thing here.

It's Not Just Scarcity or Sustainability

You'll read a lot on this blog about water issues related to drought, wasteful use of water vs. sustainable use and other conservation related topics. But as the stories below illustrate, smart water management is about a lot more than just how we use water, it's about taking a holistic, all encompassing view of water as a resource, and balancing it against competing needs.

In Wyoming's Powder River Basin, an area rich in natural gas, the extraction of that resource also depletes, and in some cases pollutes another resource; the local groundwater supply that farmers and ranchers rely on for their livelihood. A recent research report:

...said that between 1987 and 2006, BLM collected data from 111 monitoring wells in Wyoming’s portion of the basin using a deep network designed to evaluate potential leakage between the coalbed methane water-producing coal deposits and adjacent sandstone beds, and to measure the drawdown in the producing zones.
During that period, CBM production in the Wyoming PRB withdrew 4.1 billion bbl of groundwater at total pumping rates up to 77.3 million gallons daily, the report said. Based on BLM’s deep monitoring well data, water levels in some of the monitored CBM wells have declined up to 625 feet within the CBM production areas of the Wyoming PRB’s CBM production areas, it indicated.

In Delaware, increasing development in formerly agricultural areas is raising questions of the impact to groundwater, the major source for human consumption:

Groundwater is both the source of drinking water and the method of disposing of wastewater, said Scott Andres, hydrogeologist with the Delaware Geological Society. There is plenty of water to be had, he said, but the challenge is protecting public and environmental health.

As nutrient-pollution limits increase the cost of septic, land-based disposal systems are becoming more economically appealing, said Andres.

Different methods of disposal add different amounts of water to the groundwater system. They also add contaminants, including nutrients, household chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Andres said there is no data yet on the human health effects of those pollutants....

Land use adds pollutants to groundwater, and, when the flow of water changes, so do rates of natural filtration, said Ator. Less natural filtration could mean fewer contaminants are pulled out of the water.

In Michigan, years of illegal dumping of waste products from fruit processing is contaminating streams and groundwater. No one knows how long it will take the environment to recover:

In Michigan's prized fruit and vegetable industry, processors have contaminated groundwater with metals and arsenic by spraying wastewater on fields -- a 40-year-old practice that has led to polluted wells.

But in some cases, they also have dumped or spilled their waste into streams, marshes and wetlands, damaging them for years to come.

These issues aren't limited to any particular state or country. NASA's GRACE satellite mission recently confirmed that India is depleting it's groundwater faster than it's being replenished. In an area where groundwater is responsible for supplying much of the water used to irrigate crops, as well as provide drinking water to 600 million Indians, this has disaster written all over it:

Farming is a thirsty business on the Indian subcontinent. But how thirsty, exactly? For the first time, satellite remote sensing of a 2000-kilometer swath running from eastern Pakistan across northern India and into Bangladesh has put a solid number on how quickly the region is depleting its groundwater. The number "is big," says hydrologist James Famiglietti of the University of California, Irvine--big as in 54 cubic kilometers of groundwater lost per year from the world's most intensively irrigated region hosting 600 million people. "I don't think anybody knew how quickly it was being depleted over that large an area."

With climate change threatening to change the distribution of rainfall across the globe, it seems like now would be a good time to start addressing these issues. An ounce of prevention and all that...

Sacramento - Excessive Water Use Nothing New

It turns out the Sacramento Bee's story about the unsustainable use of water by the city was simply a confirmation of long known problems, driven in large part to the city's legacy of un-metered water use, among other things. A previous story from March of this year highlighted the challenges the city faces in reducing its Bigfoot like water footprint of 280 gallons a day per person.

In a workshop on water conservation, a majority of the Sacramento City Council said aggressive new policies are needed to save water. This may include stronger enforcement of water waste, new landscaping rules, accelerated water-meter installation – perhaps even requiring a retrofit of homes with low-impact appliances before they're resold.

"I think it's absolutely critical for this city and this region to be at the forefront … of responsible water use," said Councilman Rob Fong.

The council directed staff to draft proposed ordinances. These could be enacted as early as June to prepare for a hot summer in the third year of a drought gripping the state.

It marks a dramatic shift from the past, when the city actively opposed basic water conservation programs now common throughout California.

For instance, Sacramento fought – and ultimately failed – to avoid state policies requiring water meter installation. And it has also fallen far behind on a number of conservation promises made in 2000.

By last June, Sacramento had achieved none of 16 conservation goals it promised to meet by 2006 as a member of the Sacramento Water Forum.

With a new mayor and a city council that's making the right noises on this issue, maybe Sacramento will be able to change its ways. Maybe. But proposals to require retrofitting houses with water wise appliances upon sale won't accomplish as much as simply requiring retrofit of dumb irrigation controllers with smart ones. Think about it, 60% or more of household water use is directed to our landscapes. If you want to have the biggest possible impact on water use, you need to start with the biggest user of water. It's common sense folks, go for the low hanging fruit first.

It's year three of the drought, and when this one ends, there will be another around the corner. There always is. Meanwhile the effects of climate change, while unpredictable, are unlikely to favor California's water situation. Add to that an ever growing population and sooner or later we're all going to have to pitch in. If Marin County can average 100 gallons a day per person, why can't Sacramento?

Sacramento is No Long Beach (or Sonoma, or Marin, or...)

This 3 page story in the Sacramento Bee shocked me nearly (but not quite!) speechless.

A Bee investigation of water use in Sacramento, based on an examination of three years of metering records, reveals city government itself as the top water scofflaw...

Even when Sacramento issued its first-ever "spare the water" alert this summer, forbidding outdoor watering by residents from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the city's own park and cemetery workers apparently missed the memo...

In the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery off Broadway and Riverside Drive, streams from antiquated jets pooled on crypts. The cemetery may host a drought-resistant garden of native plants maintained by volunteers, but its overall consumption grew by 76 percent from 2006 to 2008, the second-fastest rise of any large user.

Such bad habits are the norm at city agencies. Overall water use at metered city properties shot up by 22 percent in those three drought years, even though water available locally for all users rose by less than 4 percent.

Sacramento could do a 180 on sustainable water use just by emulating Bend, OR, Healdsburg, Newport Beach, and Petaluma, CA, and integrating WeatherTRAK smart controllers into their water management plan. What could be easier?

Weekend Roundup

There continues to be a surplus of news stories dealing with the water use issues the nation is facing today, and into the future. We've collected a few weekend stories here that you might find interesting.

Rate increases make the news in South Carolina, Ohio, Missouri, Arizona, Indiana and Kentucky.

This article offers an in depth look at the groundwater crisis facing Arizona, and possible solutions for it.

Rod Duncan of the Soquel Creek Water District takes a look at what water use in the home might look like in 2030. It's no surprise that smart controllers made the list!

Thanks for stopping by, we'll have more water news for you in a day or two, so be sure to check in again soon.

Long Beach Isn't Alone

Following up on yesterday's post of Long Beach's success in reducing water use in response to the drought are two similar stories. First up is this story from the Ventura County Star:

The call to reduce water use has been heard in Ventura County.

The Calleguas Municipal Water District, which supplies water to most of the county, on Wednesday reported a more than 15 percent decrease in water usage in July.

“We’re heading in the right direction,” said Eric Bergh, resources manager for Calleguas. “The message has been delivered.”

Next up is news from the Press Democrat that Sonoma ,Marin and Mendocino county customers of the Sonoma County Water District, home to some of California's best vineyards, old growth redwoods, beautiful coastline and yours truly, Hydropoint Data Systems, have exceeded some of the most ambitious water conservation goals in the state:

Halfway through a six-month conservation period, the 600,000 people in Sonoma and Marin counties who rely primarily on Russian River water delivered by the Sonoma County Water Agency have reduced consumption from all sources by 29 percent. That easily exceeds the goal of 25 percent.

In Mendocino County, communities along the river are flirting with the 50 percent reduction called for by the state.

“Definitely people have stepped up,” said Mike Thompson, the water agency’s deputy chief engineer. “Just from driving around the area, we see a lot more lawns on the brown side and people seem to be a lot more cognizant of the need to conserve water this year.”

The success has allowed the Water Agency to far exceed the state’s companion mandate that it reduce the amount of water it pumps from the Russian River by 25 percent. In fact, the agency is diverting 34 percent less than it did in 2004, the base year used by the state.

As you can see, Californian's are responding well to the call to conserve. That said, we do think it's worth pointing out that with the application of a little technology, homeowners can conserve water and maintain a beautiful landscape.

Long Beach Gets it Right

Long Beach Water appears to be leading the way in water conservation in California. A press release from the agency states:

During the month of July, which saw no rainfall, and which was notably warmer than July ‘08, citywide water use was 15.3% below average. For the current fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2008, Long Beach water consumption is 16.5% below the historical average. Total water use for July ‘09 was 1% higher than July ’08, breaking an amazing string of 14 consecutive record-setting months of low water use for the city. Despite higher temperatures and no precipitation, July was extremely close to setting another record for low water use.

Kudos to Long Beach for setting the bar so high! You can only wonder how much more water would have been saved if every residence had one of these high tech wonders... :-)

Whiskey is for Drinking...

and water is for fighting over. While the origins of the old adage are disputed, they are a well known part of California's history, and they still ring true as the current situation in Palmdale demonstrates. As reported in the Antelope Valley News:

As Palmdale city and water district officials prepare to return to court over the water district's May rate hike, they are lobbing criticism back and forth.

Palmdale Water District placed a full-page advertisement in Sunday's Antelope Valley Press, saying the city's lawsuit against the water district will only cost taxpayers and ratepayers money that could better be spent in other ways. Mayor Jim Ledford responded Monday in a letter calling the rate hike "exorbitant and incomprehensible" as well as illegal.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge last month refused Palmdale's request for a preliminary injunction to block the rate hike, but another court hearing is scheduled Wednesday in Los Angeles on the city's request for a permanent injunction. A city attorney said it could take months before the request goes to trial.

"PWD has won the first court ruling, but the city insists it will continue lawsuits, so the battle begins," the Palmdale Water District ad said. "PWD estimates it will be forced to spend half a million dollars to defend itself against the city. The city will likely spend half a million dollars to attack PWD. That's one million dollars spent with no benefit to our community."

According to the Palmdale Water District the rate hikes are "...needed because of general increases in costs since 2005, necessary infrastructure repairs, promotion of conservation, improving water quality, responding to decreased water deliveries, among other reasons stated,".

Especially noteworthy is their mention of decreased water deliveries and necessary infrastructure repairs. Much of the country's water delivery infrastructure is aging and desperately in need of repair, an operation costly enough on it's own, but especially so when paired with an ongoing drought causing water scarcity throughout the state. In this environment are rate hikes inevitable? It looks like it will be a few months before we find out if that's the case for Palmdale, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see more stories like this in the near future. Stay tuned...

CA Drought & Groundwater Use Symposium

It's becoming more and more difficult to overstate the seriousness of California's ongoing drought. In the latest example of just how critical sustainable use of the state's water supply has become, the San Joaquin Valley Chapters of the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists (AEG) and the Groundwater Resources Association of California (GRA) will be holding a symposium on the possibility of deep land subsidence due to overuse of groundwater resources in the San Joaquin Valley.

According to their website:

The prospect of renewed episodes of deep land subsidence in the San Joaquin Valley is very real: San Joaquin Valley groundwater levels are at historic lows; groundwater pumping is increasing in response to a drought and cutbacks in surface water deliveries; and Valley population growth has imposed an ever-increasing demand on water supplies. Deep land subsidence threatens infrastructure and buildings, water delivery systems, and long-term water supply capacity.

Click the link for more information on what will be discussed and how to register for the event.

Measuring Your Water Footprint: Part II

Just as we're all starting to feel well versed on water use and its relationship to a sustainable lifestyle, along comes this read from Mother Jones to let us know that, just as with your carbon footprint, your water footprint involves more than just your direct use of the resource.

Be sure and check out the links embedded in the story as well, there's a lot more great info hiding in there...