CLCA Positions on Water Agency and Local Government Water Rationing
June 15, 2009.
- CLCA strongly opposes limitations on the number of days per week that owners may irrigate, especially on metered properties. Limiting irrigation to one or two days a week limits flexibility for individuals who try to plan their irrigation based on climate trends. Furthermore, it may encourage over-watering on the allowed day or days.
- CLCA believes that California’s water agencies and local governments should implement landscape water conservation rate structures because they are the most efficient and equitable way to reduce outdoor water waste and reward efficiency in urban settings, not only during times of water shortage, but also when water is seemingly plentiful. Landscape water conservation rate structures are a type of tiered rate structure that takes into account the size of the landscape and local weather, or reference evapotranspiration (ETo). Typically a dedicated landscape meter is required to measure the water used outdoors, but landscape water conservation rate structures also can be used in combination with other allocation-based rate structures in certain situations, in which case the need for a dedicated landscape meter can be avoided. A good landscape water conservation rate structure includes penalty rates for outdoor water use in excess of a specific percentage of ETo as well as discounts from the base water rate for customers who use less than a specific percentage of ETo. A proper landscape water conservation rate structure should be revenue neutral; any excess revenues should be used for education, technical assistance, and rebates for the installation of water-saving technology to help water users become successful in applying no more water on their landscapes than is necessary. The Irvine Ranch Water District is an example of a water agency that has successful pioneered this approach. As a result, the district has saved enormous amounts of water while preserving local landscapes.
- Water agencies and local governments should promote the hiring of licensed landscape contractors and certified landscape water managers by their customers and citizens. The Contractors State License Board lists all licensed contactors on its website. CLCA lists all certified water managers at www.clca.us/water.
- Water agencies and local governments considering restrictions on the number of irrigation days per week should allow an exemption for property owners who meet a landscape water budget that is similar to the water budget in the CLCA Certified Water Management Program or who have landscapes with smart controllers, drip irrigation, and high efficiency nozzles.
- Water agencies should expand their rebate programs for SMART controllers and other water-saving technologies.
- Water agencies and local governments should balance the need to save water with the need to preserve California’s landscapes. Urban landscapes clean the air, cool our cities, protect water quality by directing water into the ground, provide a refuge for wildlife, bring communities together, improve public health, and restore a sense of place in crowded cities.