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Conserving California's water
Discuss the final round of this week's Dust-Up.
1.
Kudos to Ms. McIntyre for her knowledge of the issue.
2. Very few people know anything about the Delta. Facts; prior to water exports aquatic life thrived; 23 canneries supported, rivaled Alaska in salmon, has the most productive farmland, a major stop over for migratory waterfowl, increased exports will turn the West Delta into a seawater sump contaminated by agricultural run-off. 80 to 85% of water exports goes to corporate agriculture. What they don’t use they sell at inflated prices. The Delta today? Delta smelt is on the verge of extinction, the green sturgeon is threatened, there is a pelagic organism decline, it’s the most compromised estuary in America.
3. California must conserve water. But missing from this discussion is the responsibility agriculture to do it's fair share. When 80% of the water consumed in the state is consumed by ag, water which is highly subsidized, and just 20% by urban dwellers, it is not right financially or otherwise to foist 60% to 80% of the responsibility to conserve on to urban communities. Who's going to stand up for the rights of urban dwellers?
4. Michael is right, but higher prices are often presented as "unfair" to the poor. Here's how to structure prices: (1) use meters, (2) use increasing block rates (the more you use, the more you pay per unit used), (3) raise prices by 50-400% (people will start paying attention), (4) refund revenue in excess of costs on a per-capita basis. Although rich and poor will both get money back, the water "wasters" will get 10% of their bill refunded and water misers will get 200% of their bill refunded -- a reward for conservation. More: http://aguanomics.com/2008/03/burning-money-to-save-water.html
5. What are you doing to stop power plants from stealing all our water? CPV Sentinel's new "gas peaker plant" in Desert Hot Springs will suck 360 million gallons a year! Why not solar panels on roofs instead of peaker plants and wilderness-killing solar farms? Because Utility Foxes are guarding the Conservation & Renewable Energy Henhouses? Duh. I'm sick of cutting back while Big Energy hogs everything. No fireplace, no showers, no plants, and no solar panels for me, but diesel trucks, giant power plants, millions of gallons of our water, eminent domain, and millions of acres of our wilderness for Big Utilities. This stinks.
6. No method is more effective at reducing water usage than raising prices.
7. One thing that frustrates me the most is when I see people washing dishes under a running faucet. They are scrubbing one by one while the water is just falling from the faucet and into the drain. Why don't they first make sure they empty all food contents in the trash. Then, rinse them briefly, turn off the water, scrub them, then rinse them again in the pile, so that as you rinse one the water falls on the rest, and as you go along you need less and less water to rinse the remaining. I we use our brain continuously on how we can always keep improving the way we do things, I think, we could make this a much better world.
8. Stop watering the weeds along the shoulders of the 210 freeway every morning. Seriously. How stupid.
9. Some one needs to take Lester on a tour of the CALTRANS newest landscaping efforts in Altadena. Truly tragic. Drought resistant plants were hacked to pieces, and oak was sawed in half, concrete replaced mature bottlebrush trees, and GRASS AND PALM trees complete with sprinklers were installed. When I questioned the cost, and wisdom of installing water greedy lawns and palms, I was sneered at by the charming "landscape specialist." So so so glad I pay my taxes for these arrogant ignorant boobs.
10. Maybe a smarter idea is to quit building without regard to whether the water will be available. Developers have always assumed that water will be gotten one way or another and politicians wanting the additional property tax revenue keep supporting them. This can't go on forever and evantually demand will outstrip the water. In addition those looney environmentalists keep wanting to tear down the very dams that store water for us and provide electricity.
Submitted by: JT
2. Very few people know anything about the Delta. Facts; prior to water exports aquatic life thrived; 23 canneries supported, rivaled Alaska in salmon, has the most productive farmland, a major stop over for migratory waterfowl, increased exports will turn the West Delta into a seawater sump contaminated by agricultural run-off. 80 to 85% of water exports goes to corporate agriculture. What they don’t use they sell at inflated prices. The Delta today? Delta smelt is on the verge of extinction, the green sturgeon is threatened, there is a pelagic organism decline, it’s the most compromised estuary in America.
Submitted by: Roger Mammon
3. California must conserve water. But missing from this discussion is the responsibility agriculture to do it's fair share. When 80% of the water consumed in the state is consumed by ag, water which is highly subsidized, and just 20% by urban dwellers, it is not right financially or otherwise to foist 60% to 80% of the responsibility to conserve on to urban communities. Who's going to stand up for the rights of urban dwellers?
Submitted by: Who's looking out for urban consumers?
4. Michael is right, but higher prices are often presented as "unfair" to the poor. Here's how to structure prices: (1) use meters, (2) use increasing block rates (the more you use, the more you pay per unit used), (3) raise prices by 50-400% (people will start paying attention), (4) refund revenue in excess of costs on a per-capita basis. Although rich and poor will both get money back, the water "wasters" will get 10% of their bill refunded and water misers will get 200% of their bill refunded -- a reward for conservation. More: http://aguanomics.com/2008/03/burning-money-to-save-water.html
Submitted by: David Zetland
5. What are you doing to stop power plants from stealing all our water? CPV Sentinel's new "gas peaker plant" in Desert Hot Springs will suck 360 million gallons a year! Why not solar panels on roofs instead of peaker plants and wilderness-killing solar farms? Because Utility Foxes are guarding the Conservation & Renewable Energy Henhouses? Duh. I'm sick of cutting back while Big Energy hogs everything. No fireplace, no showers, no plants, and no solar panels for me, but diesel trucks, giant power plants, millions of gallons of our water, eminent domain, and millions of acres of our wilderness for Big Utilities. This stinks.
Submitted by: stop green path
6. No method is more effective at reducing water usage than raising prices.
Submitted by: Michael Ejercito
7. One thing that frustrates me the most is when I see people washing dishes under a running faucet. They are scrubbing one by one while the water is just falling from the faucet and into the drain. Why don't they first make sure they empty all food contents in the trash. Then, rinse them briefly, turn off the water, scrub them, then rinse them again in the pile, so that as you rinse one the water falls on the rest, and as you go along you need less and less water to rinse the remaining. I we use our brain continuously on how we can always keep improving the way we do things, I think, we could make this a much better world.
Submitted by: JB
8. Stop watering the weeds along the shoulders of the 210 freeway every morning. Seriously. How stupid.
Submitted by: Ryan
9. Some one needs to take Lester on a tour of the CALTRANS newest landscaping efforts in Altadena. Truly tragic. Drought resistant plants were hacked to pieces, and oak was sawed in half, concrete replaced mature bottlebrush trees, and GRASS AND PALM trees complete with sprinklers were installed. When I questioned the cost, and wisdom of installing water greedy lawns and palms, I was sneered at by the charming "landscape specialist." So so so glad I pay my taxes for these arrogant ignorant boobs.
Submitted by: Pita
10. Maybe a smarter idea is to quit building without regard to whether the water will be available. Developers have always assumed that water will be gotten one way or another and politicians wanting the additional property tax revenue keep supporting them. This can't go on forever and evantually demand will outstrip the water. In addition those looney environmentalists keep wanting to tear down the very dams that store water for us and provide electricity.
Submitted by: JR
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