California's Water Crisis. Why?

[DaveinOlyWA]

i live in the Olympia, WA area, Lacey to be specific... coming off a record snowfall year (it snowed as late as the end of May!!) which means a lot of water (evidenced by record flooding just south of us last winter) in the system thru the dams from snow melt, runoff, etc...

AND the City of Lacey, rations water EVERY summer, including this one. now maybe we are lucky in that the water supply is primarily drawn from aquifers (underground rivers) and artesian wells (places where aquifers emerge at ground level after being filtered thru several hundred feet of sand, rock and dirt)

so do we ration because we have a water shortage??....no

so why do we do it??....

well, cali is a pretty damn good reason why... and over the past 30 years, there has been detected a decrease in the volume of water in the 2 major aquifers in the area due to explosive growth in the area, so issues are emerging. hopefully, nothing extremely serious for several decades to come...

and this fresno thing.... hard to believe a meterless water system.

[RonH]

Originally Posted by Godiva

San Diego has had a string of Republican Mayors (and City Council people) ....

And yet, Mayor Mo ("one of the water meters is for the Koi pond") was a democrate. And the current president of the city council Peters ("I need that million gals a year to maintain my rain forest") is a democrat.

"Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown."

[carz89]

Originally Posted by Godiva

San Diego has had a string of Republican Mayors (and City Council people) who got us where we are by following party doctrine. ...

Just as MINGOGLIA suggested that you were proud member of the group who are "very quick to always throw the political bomb whenever the opportunity arises," you are at it again!

It it wasn't any single party that got San Diego into financial trouble, it was a few corrupt politicians who are a disgrace to their party, long before the present mayor ever became involved in politics. Incidentally, the corruption bug equally infects members of all parties all across the country, and even more so around the world.

And what do pensions and specific community developments have to do with California's Water Crisis, anyhow? Or the environment, or the Prius? You are straying way off subject by blaming a whole slew of contemporary problems on a particular party.

Let's get back to making this a constructive forum, sharing our ideas and experiences about the environment and the Prius to make a positive contribution to society.

[Godiva]

Originally Posted by carz89

And what do pensions and specific community developments have to do with California's Water Crisis, anyhow? Or the environment, or the Prius? You are straying way off subject by blaming a whole slew of contemporary problems on a particular party.

Did you pay attention? Instead of doing something about the water we're just being asked to conserve ANOTHER 10%.

Apparently water isn't as important as building a new stadium and a new council building, etc. (The new library is on permanent hold....again.)

It's a priority thing and water isn't a priority for the City except in the summer. Cuts is the universal solution, whether it's water or budget.

The only true Democrat on the council is Donna Frye.

The money that determines who is elected Mayor and to a degree City Council comes from developers. That's how they get the votes to hand them NTC while we're still waiting for a public library.....and something to be done about water. And sewer for that matter.

You can't ask people to cut back an extra 10% from the previous year EVERY YEAR. Eventually there isn't any to cut back anymore.

I DON'T HAVE A LAWN. I have brick. Front and back.

[Godiva]

Originally Posted by RonH

And yet, Mayor Mo ("one of the water meters is for the Koi pond") was a democrate. And the current president of the city council Peters ("I need that million gals a year to maintain my rain forest") is a democrat.

That's only registration.

They didn't legislate "Democrat". They were name only. We have plenty of them. Atkins is another. So glad she's term limited.

Don't forget how Mo got her free trip to Russia on the city's dime.

[RonH]

Originally Posted by Godiva

The only true Democrat on the council is Donna Frye.

Is there some place I can go, a website perhaps, where I can get the list of true democrats?

[Sufferin' Prius Envy]

Originally Posted by Codyroo

In Fresno, the water company doesn't require meters on houses.

Originally Posted by Freedom

For real? OMG . . . .

Originally Posted by Godiva

Perhaps those areas of California that don't have water meters and don't pay for water should install some and start paying.

Originally Posted by DaveinOlyWA

and this fresno thing.... hard to believe a meterless water system.

I don't have a water meter.
Nanna, nannaaa, nann-ah

OK, before you people get all bent out of shape, let me clue you in on some realities:

All California municipalities are mandated to go to water meters.
Fresno: 80,000 Homes in Fresno to Get Water Meters
Sacramento area: http://www.sswd.org/capital_programs/water_meters.html

(For me, oh . . . probably 2020 according to the City of Sacramento. )

Now for some real truths: Cities like Sacramento and Fresno have some of the oldest WATER RIGHTS in California. Even if we go to a water meter program, it doesn't mean we will be charged more FOR OUR OWN WATER. Our rates will go up a little to pay for the meter retrofit program, but our rates will still be much less than others pay. And just because we save water doesn't mean it will then be shipped down south for those water grubbin' &*^#$*@! Our water savings will be used to help the environment, not to succumb to the water greed of So Cal.

In real estate the catch phrase is "Location, Location, Location." Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, etc. were stupid areas in which to build large cities . . . considering there was little water in which to support growth. Those growing cities had to go STEAL water from other areas and create ecological disasters. Mono Lake, Owens Valley, Yosemite National Park, the Delta, Trinity River, etc. etc.
Owens Valley - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
California Water Wars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hetch Hetchy: Time to Redeem a Historic Mistake - Sierra Club
California’s Water Wars: Can We Save Fisheries and Solve Water Problems? : The Trout Underground Fly Fishing Blog

So when people like Godiva whine about us not having water meters, what that ilk is saying is, "YOU DON'T PAY ENOUGH FOR YOUR WATER, SO YOU WASTE IT. METER IT, PAY MORE, AND SEND WHAT WATER YOU SAVE OUR WAY."

NO FREAKIN' WAY! You live in an arid environment. Make due with what water you people have already stole from the Owens Valley, Mono Lake, Trinity River, etc, etc, etc, etc.

Conserve, conserve, conserve. Then give YOUR 'savings' back to where you stole it!!!! The environment would appreciate it.

[Fraser]

Originally Posted by Godiva

Did you pay attention? Instead of doing something about the water we're just being asked to conserve ANOTHER 10%.

Apparently water isn't as important as building a new stadium and a new council building, etc. (The new library is on permanent hold....again.)

So, why don't you run for mayor of San Diego and fix all those problems?

[Godiva]

Who is going to vote for me?

I've done my time on the Area Planning Committee and the Redevelopment Board and the Neighborhood Association.

If I run for anything, it would be school board. But I'm not willing to go into debt even for that. I have no political connections. None of the local politcal parties know who I am.

I vote. Every election. And I go down to City Council on occasion to express my views. Not that it does any good. The city is basically being run by the staff. No one challenges them on anything they "recommend". I see the same thing happening with the school board now.

BTW I don't have a lawn, my planters are on drip with timers and are only on 6 months of the year. Low flow everything. I have a recycling washer. That's right. I can use the same tub of water for two different loads of laundry. I only do laundry twice a month. I bought extra clothes, sheets and towels to reduce the number of times I have to do laundry. And I'm now installing a small dishwasher because I read a dishwasher uses less water than hand washing. I don't run the faucet when I brush my teeth. I even have a dish under the dog's "lick-it spiggot" outside to catch his dribbles.

What am I supposed to do to cut my use 10%? Cut my bathing to once a week on Saturday night?

[F8L]

Originally Posted by Sufferin' Prius Envy

I don't have a water meter.
Nanna, nannaaa, nann-ah

OK, before you people get all bent out of shape, let me clue you in on some realities:

All California municipalities are mandated to go to water meters.
Fresno: 80,000 Homes in Fresno to Get Water Meters
Sacramento area: http://www.sswd.org/capital_programs/water_meters.html

(For me, oh . . . probably 2020 according to the City of Sacramento. )

Now for some real truths: Cities like Sacramento and Fresno have some of the oldest WATER RIGHTS in California. Even if we go to a water meter program, it doesn't mean we will be charged more FOR OUR OWN WATER. Our rates will go up a little to pay for the meter retrofit program, but our rates will still be much less than others pay. And just because we save water doesn't mean it will then be shipped down south for those water grubbin' &*^#$*@! Our water savings will be used to help the environment, not to succumb to the water greed of So Cal.

In real estate the catch phrase is "Location, Location, Location." Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, etc. were stupid areas in which to build large cities . . . considering there was little water in which to support growth. Those growing cities had to go STEAL water from other areas and create ecological disasters. Mono Lake, Owens Valley, Yosemite National Park, the Delta, Trinity River, etc. etc.
Owens Valley - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
California Water Wars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hetch Hetchy: Time to Redeem a Historic Mistake - Sierra Club
California’s Water Wars: Can We Save Fisheries and Solve Water Problems? : The Trout Underground Fly Fishing Blog

So when people like Godiva whine about us not having water meters, what that ilk is saying is, "YOU DON'T PAY ENOUGH FOR YOUR WATER, SO YOU WASTE IT. METER IT, PAY MORE, AND SEND WHAT WATER YOU SAVE OUR WAY."

NO FREAKIN' WAY! You live in an arid environment. Make due with what water you people have already stole from the Owens Valley, Mono Lake, Trinity River, etc, etc, etc, etc.

Conserve, conserve, conserve. Then give YOUR 'savings' back to where you stole it!!!! The environment would appreciate it.

LOL Nice post. I must admit to being a bit partial after spending so much time in the Mono Basin and Owens Valley area. I've only been to O'Shaughnessy Dam and Hetch Hetchy twice. Ron Good, ED of Restore Hetch Hetchy, comes to our campus once a year to give a talk about the project.