Board Preps for Discussing Water Reduction Strategies

By City News Service:

Riverside County supervisors are expected next week to schedule a brainstorming session with representatives from regional water agencies to iron out how the county can meet the state’s water conservation mandates.

The Executive Office is proposing a May 26 workshop at the County Administrative Center in Riverside to discuss water reduction strategies. The Board of Supervisors will vote during its regular session Tuesday to set the May date or arrange for an alternate day.

“The workshop will address how the county, along with its water agency partners, will work to achieve ... a reduction in potable water usage,” according to an Executive Office statement.

The meeting will focus generally on developing new irrigation and landscaping standards, reducing consumption at county-owned and operated facilities and spreading the word about the need for county residents to cut back, officials said.

On April 1, Gov. Jerry Brown issued executive orders calling for a 25 percent cut in statewide water consumption -- compared to 2013 -- over the ensuing 10 months.

Brown directed that 50 million square feet of natural lawns be replaced with “drought-tolerant landscaping” to scale back outdoor watering, which accounts for the largest drain on water supplies.

The governor also called for:

• restrictions on the amount of water used to maintain campuses, golf courses, cemeteries and other “large landscapes”
• a temporary consumer rebate program to encourage the replacement of inefficient appliances
• a prohibition against irrigation systems that rely on potable water for new developments, with the exception of drip irrigation systems
• a ban on watering “ornamental grass” on public street medians

The governor’s decree encouraged water agencies to adjust rates in support of conservation and will require agencies and agricultural operations to meet more stringent water usage reporting standards.

The executive action came a little over a year after Brown declared a drought state of emergency. The California Water Resources Control Board recently expanded regulations implemented in response to the governor’s proclamation, including fining water users for irrigating in a way that creates runoff and prohibiting any type of outdoor watering within 48 hours of measurable rainfall.

Most inland water agencies already have the type of incentives announced by the governor, offering consumer rebates for the removal of unused turf to reduce outdoor watering and charging customers for consumption based on a tiered system, with rates rising in line with usage.

(Image via Shutterstock)