Celebrating Water

Water is worth celebrating during any month, and August is no exception! The Southern Sierran, a chapter of the Sierra Club, is celebrating water this August and we are quite happy to celebrate with them! With a wide variety of conservation suggestions, we hope you’ll take a look at the Southern Sierran’s water conservation recommendations as well.

Many water districts are using a carrot and stick approach,

meaning the use of incentives to alter or change a behavior or course of action. In this case, Southern Sierran Water Committee member David Campbell is not referring to actual wooden sticks, but “rules and penalties for outdoor watering practices and higher prices per gallon” of water used, while the Southern Sierren is referring less to delicious orange vegetables when writing of

“carrots,” than to the “generous rebates” on water-use appliances, such as low-flush toilets, higher efficiency clothing machines and smart irrigation controllers. One interesting result the Southern Sierran points to is that raised water rates may make more consumers turn to recycling waste-water and encourage others to cut down on wasteful water-use practices, as this precious natural resource becomes more expensive and/or scarce. Some ways in which water users are advised to help save water include fixing leaks and only running irrigation systems during allowed hours.

Particularly with rising temperature and rising water rates through various water districts and municipalities, it is a great time to consider water use practices and ways to conserve water and keep cool. One area the Southern Sierran recommends being aware of is water waste, and alerting the proper authorities to said waste. “We’ve all witnessed water abuse: broken sprinklers flooding a sidewalk, sprinklers spraying on rainy days, hoses left running. With the state of California in its third year of drought, and with imported supplies of water in decline, cities and water agencies need your help in eliminating water waste,” the Sierran explains. Major Southern California water agencies, such as the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, encourage consumers to cut down on water waste and report clear instances of water mismanagement. If reporting a wasteful incident, the Southern Sierran recommends observing the day of the week, the date, the precise location and the time the water waste was observed, when getting ready to report the wasteful incident. Remember, we are in this together and officials are working to help encourage conservation, so that prices do not have to rise for everyone. Help yourself, help your neighbor, and help you environment!