"Goldilocks" Reponses to Gov's New Water Reduction Order

Just like the story of Goldilocks, some feel the mandatory water reduction targets called for by Gov. Jerry Brown go too far; some think they are just right; and, the usual gaggle of NIMBYs and No Growthers think they don’t go far enough.

The criticism is amid more than 200 comments fielded by the State Water Resources Control Board since the water-rationing plan was unveiled. The dominant concerns appear to be whether communities can rise to the unprecedented conservation orders as California enters a fourth year of drought.

Foster City is a classic example of doing the right thing and still getting penalized. Targeted for a 20% reduction, Foster City leaders noted the proposal unfairly punishes communities that conserved before September 2013 (such as Foster City) which is the baseline period being used to evaluate future conservation efforts.

Then there’s Daly City… done in by three-fifths of a gallon. (On the state level, truly an example of bureaucratic idiocy at its finest.) The city was initially marked for just a 10% cut, a level reserved for 18 areas in the state whose per-capita water consumption was just 55 gallons a day or less. It turns out, however, that Daly City’s consumption – according to State Water Resources Control Board – was 55.6 gallons a day, pushing the city into the group targeted for a 20 percent reduction. As the city quite appropriately noted, “It is critical to ensure the numbers are, in fact, accurate as the public policy ramifications are significant.”

Southern California communities such as Beverly Hills and Newport Beach that have done little to conserve – and as a result are targeted for the deepest water cuts of 35 percent – are calling the proposal way too demanding.

Others (mostly enviros, NIMBYS, no growthers and a new faction spawned by the drought – haters of agricultural water use) say the pain isn’t being spread fairly. And some of the former groups are latching onto the drought as an excuse to place a moratorium on all housing construction; not realizing that normally when a building permit is issued, the water connection was typically negotiated and paid for years earlier.

Under the plan, California’s 400 water agencies are required to reduce their water use by 10 to 35 percent, compared with their consumption in 2013. It will be left to each agency to figure out how their customers can meet the target; be it with new regulations or by pressing harder for voluntary action.

Also recall that on March 27, Gov. Brown signed emergency legislation - AB 91 and AB 92 - that allocated more than $1 billion in funding for drought relief and critical water infrastructure projects. Not one penny of the funding will go towards the construction of new reservoirs or dams.

The funds are to be used for emergency food aid, drinking water, water recycling, conservation awareness, water system modeling (including desalination), infrastructure, flood protection funding… and get this – species tracking.