Comments on: Running Dry http://ecologycenter.org/terrain/issues/summer-2009/running-dry/ Tips, News & Alerts from the Ecology Center Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:28:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Art Jensen http://ecologycenter.org/terrain/issues/summer-2009/running-dry/comment-page-1/#comment-5759 Art Jensen Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:27:42 +0000 http://ecologycenter.org/terrain/?p=1607#comment-5759 This article provides excellent coverage of remarks made at the conference held by the April 16 Water Education Foundation and Association of California Water Agencies in Burlingame [http://www.watereducation.org/doc.asp?id=1202]. Thank you for including some of the remarks I made at the meeting. My statement about the value of replacing inefficient toilets "even if we have to break into their homes to do it," was made in jest, but the article was unable to capture the tone of the statement and the context in which it was delivered. Our agency, working with its member agencies and others, has begun an aggressive program to replace old inefficient toilets. But, and I emphasize, we will NOT be breaking into peoples’ homes to do so! This article provides excellent coverage of remarks made at the conference held by the April 16 Water Education Foundation and Association of California Water Agencies in Burlingame [http://www.watereducation.org/doc.asp?id=1202]. Thank you for including some of the remarks I made at the meeting. My statement about the value of replacing inefficient toilets “even if we have to break into their homes to do it,” was made in jest, but the article was unable to capture the tone of the statement and the context in which it was delivered. Our agency, working with its member agencies and others, has begun an aggressive program to replace old inefficient toilets. But, and I emphasize, we will NOT be breaking into peoples’ homes to do so!

]]> By: Tak Nakamoto http://ecologycenter.org/terrain/issues/summer-2009/running-dry/comment-page-1/#comment-5159 Tak Nakamoto Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:39:03 +0000 http://ecologycenter.org/terrain/?p=1607#comment-5159 I'm glad that EBMUD has called off its water emergency declaration. However I remain deeply annoyed with the form of rationing that EBMUD chose to implement which tended to disproportionately harm those of us who were practicing water conservation before rationing began. For instance in our household, during the winter/spring months when we do no outdoor watering, we used less than 35 gallons per day per adult on average before the drought declaration. This is at the "Australian" level of use referred to in the article. We did this by implementing water conservation practices as a part of our normal routine. And we have done this for at least a dozen years. To cut another 20 percent off of our usage due to rationing was completely unmanageable. We just couldn't do it. That would have required us to get to 28 gallons per day per person. We got down to about 32 gallons but could go no lower. We know that there will more droughts coming in the future. I urge the EBMUD board to plan ahead so that when rationing is needed again, there will be a more equitable system ready to be implemented. Water customers will also be able to plan ahead for this contingency. I’m glad that EBMUD has called off its water emergency declaration. However I remain deeply annoyed with the form of rationing that EBMUD chose to implement which tended to disproportionately harm those of us who were practicing water conservation before rationing began.

For instance in our household, during the winter/spring months when we do no outdoor watering, we used less than 35 gallons per day per adult on average before the drought declaration. This is at the “Australian” level of use referred to in the article. We did this by implementing water conservation practices as a part of our normal routine. And we have done this for at least a dozen years.

To cut another 20 percent off of our usage due to rationing was completely unmanageable. We just couldn’t do it. That would have required us to get to 28 gallons per day per person. We got down to about 32 gallons but could go no lower.

We know that there will more droughts coming in the future. I urge the EBMUD board to plan ahead so that when rationing is needed again, there will be a more equitable system ready to be implemented. Water customers will also be able to plan ahead for this contingency.

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