Our water-hogging ways are about to cost more
WATER: Man says Bakersfield can easily cut back
| Friday, Nov 06 2009 09:37 PM
Last Updated Friday, Nov 06 2009 09:37 PM
WATER USAGE - BY THE NUMBERS
98 gallons
The average amount of water used nationwide per person, per day at home
123 gallons
California's per capita usage
111 gallons
Los Angeles County's per capita usage
48.5 gallons
San Francisco County's per capita usage
173 gallons
Kern County's per capita usage
Source: U.S. Geological Survey report using 2005 figures
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Felix adamo / The Californian Since Bakersfield hasn't seen any significant rainfall in months, one has to assume that this build up water and the wet curbing are the result of a homeowner overwatering their lawn to the point of it flowing to the gutter on 22nd Street.
Felix adamo / The Californian Since Bakersfield hasn't seen any significant rainfall in months, one has to assume that this build up water and the wet curbing are the result of a homeowner overwatering their lawn to the point of it flowing to the gutter on 22nd Street.
There's one house in Mel Cochran's neighborhood near Bakersfield Country Club that always gets him steamed.
It's a large lot. It has a lot of landscaping. And every day the sprinklers send rivers of extra water flowing into the street.
"They're so well off, maybe they don't have to worry about the bill," Cochran said.
He and his wife worry about their bill. It's been increasing.
Chances are Cochran's higher bill will become familiar for many Kern County property owners in coming months as legislation demanding statewide conservation efforts and water rate plans that punish high-volume water users comes on line locally.
GREENING A DESERT
Kern County water users -- and Bakersfield residents in particular -- suck up massive volumes of water on a per-person basis compared to other places.
People who work in the water business say locals simply are not educated about water conservation.
And the area's hot climate and sprawl of large-lot suburban homes mean large volumes of water are required to preserve lush lawns and tropical landscaping that are unsuited to local conditions.
Local water managers estimate 70 percent to 75 percent of the water used by local residents goes to keep plants alive.
California Water Service Co. District Manager Tim Treloar said folks argue that wasted water flows into the storm drain and down to a sump, where it percolates into the ground and recharges the water table that most locals drink from.
That argument has some holes in it, Treloar said.
"In the winter it's going to percolate. In the summer you're going to lose that water -- it's going to evaporate away," he said.
And, while some of the water does make it into the ground, the cost to pull that water back out again and treat it for drinking is extremely high.
HEAVY USERS
Customers of Vaughn Water Co., which serves the Rosedale area where large-lot ranchette development has thrived, used an average of 380 gallons a day per person over the past five years.
That's nearly four times the national average of 98 gallons a person recorded by a U.S. Geological Society data in 2005.
It's three times the California average for 2005.
An average user on the city of Bakersfield system in southwest Bakersfield consumed 215 gallons a day in 2005.
In January, Vaughn manager Michael Huhn said, all metered customers of the company will go on a three-tier system that charges a base fee and then adds escalating costs on each cubic foot of water. The higher the usage, the higher the price of each cubic foot.
California Water Service in east Bakersfield already has the three-tier pay system on its metered homes.
Each of its residents used around 277 gallons per day in 2005.
"We have already jumped into this pricing structure," Treloar said. "If you are a high water user, you're going to quickly get into that higher tier and it's going to be imminently more expensive."
But where 92 percent of Vaughn's residential connections is metered, only about 32,000 of California Water's links have meters -- that's less than half of the company's residential customer base.
Treloar said the company is pushing hard to put in meters because they reward conservers and make high-volume users pay for what they use.
"Roughly about a third of the town is flat rate -- about a third of the people can use whatever water they feel they need," he said.
MOTIVATING CHANGE
Combined, the pricing system and the water-measuring meters can tie people's water spending to their pocketbooks and make them far more conscious of any excess, water managers say.
And that may be key to meeting new conservation goals passed this week by the state Legislature.
All California communities will be required to reduce their water usage by 20 percent by 2020.
Cochran admits he isn't the most water-conscious person. There's probably a lot he could learn about saving water.
And there are always mishaps to deal with.
"I just got our gardener out today," Cochran said. "He put in the new grass in the backyard."
But when the gardener set the sprinkler system's timer to water the lawn three times a day, he didn't just set that schedule for the lawn sprinklers.
"We flooded out the backyard," Cochran said.
BIG FIRST STEPS
Treloar said getting to the 20 percent cut won't be that difficult for Bakersfield, largely because we consume so much water that just a few simple changes can combine to make a major difference.
"We'll do the 20 percent by cutting back on watering lawns and the other usage," he said.
Huhn said Vaughn often does counseling sessions with new users who get their first big bill and call in shock.
Those customers are often stunned by how much money they save by cutting back on five or 10 minutes of lawn sprinkling each day.
Getting serious about conservation, however, will require Bakersfield to rethink the way it decorates it's homes, Treloar said.
He said he and his wife are talking about xeriscaping -- landscaping with rock and other materials and with drought-resistant plants.
In the end, that may be where things have to go, Treloar said.
A DIFFERENT GREEN
Jere White of White Forest Nursery isn't a big fan of decorating with rocks.
But he said reducing lawn sizes and making smart choices about the plants that are used can make a major impact.
His customers, White said, are "getting the shock from the water bills. What we're seeing is a rising consciousness level. They're coming in looking for ways to save."
Loosening soil and letting grass dig roots deeper into the ground can keep water from rolling off hard-packed soil. The ground holds more water and grass has more time to absorb it, White said.
Result: a green lawn from less water.
People want to save water, White said.
"We haven't given them the tools to be successful," he said. "People still want a lawn, but it doesn't have to be acres."
