California Needs a "Real-Time" Drought Response

Here are the kinds of actions that are really needed to permanently use less water and better manage the hundreds of dams and reservoirs that already exist, as recommended by the member organizations of the Environmental Water Caucus:

• Provide funding of mandatory programs for urban and agricultural efficiencies and conservation. This would include measures such as incentives to purchase high efficiency toilets, clothes washers and dishwashers, storm water capture, urban landscape replacement, groundwater cleanup, waste water treatment and recycling, green water infrastructure, and higher technology farm irrigation practices and equipment. All of these actions have proven successful in the recent past, especially compared to the costs of water from new dams.
• Develop water pricing guidelines to incentivize reduced use of urban and agricultural water with local baselines and steep upward price escalation for usage above the baselines.
• Develop enforceable regional per capita water usage targets based on the efficiency and conservation measures adopted.
• Report and monitor groundwater usage in order to minimize groundwater overdraft. California is the only major state that does not monitor or control its groundwater.
• Retire impaired farmlands in the San Joaquin Valley which now pollute our groundwater and rivers and use excessive amounts of irrigation water; these lands could be repurposed as solar farms.
• Develop water pricing incentives for planting crops which directly contribute to the nation’s food supply. As we reach the limits of our water supply, we need to question the use of that valuable resource in order to ensure the best use of our water.
• Reduce exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta to a sustainable level aimed at protecting our water supplies as well as fish and habitat.
• Operate major dams with a larger reserve held back for the 40% of low water years that can be anticipated. The major orientation of dam operations should be to protect water quality, drinking water, fisheries, and habitats.
• Reduce water district contract amounts to a more reasonable level in keeping with future reduced water supplies and to eliminate the current “paper water.”
• Restrict the use of water for fracking oil and natural gas. The limitations of our water supply require that we not use that resource for a completely new water polluting industry.
• Assure that adequate water supplies are provided to disadvantaged communities and that the water quality for poorer communities meets healthy standards. 

These are the kinds of actions that will be a real and permanent drought response.

Demand Reduction Measures to Achieve 25% Water Cutback

Continuing extreme drought conditions have prompted Zone 7's Board of Directors to set forth water demand reduction measures needed to achieve an overall 25 percent cutback in treated and untreated water deliveries for 2014.

Water retailers serving Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin and Dougherty Valley must achieve conservation consistent with "Stage 2" under Zone 7's Urban Water Management Plan.

Because the majority of water used for non-public health and safety is used outdoors, attaining a 25 percent reduction over the course of the entire year will require a much larger cutback in outdoor water use beginning immediately.

The Stage 2 Action Plan consists of:

1) Reduce Indoor water use by 5 percent

• Water service in restaurants to be provided only when requested.
• Check your home's water meter to see if you have a leak (directions are posted at www.h2ouse.org.
• Leaks are prohibited. If you find a leak (even a small one), arrange for it to be repaired as quickly as possible.
• Rebate programs for water-efficient appliances, lowflow toilets (replacing older, high-flow toilets) and waterless urinals will remain available while funds last (first-come, first-served).

2) Reduce outdoor water use by 50-60 percent (these limitations apply only to outdoor use of tap water; they do not apply to applications or use of recycled water).

The following practices are prohibited during the Drought Emergency:

• Watering while it’s raining or less than three days after a rain event.
• Any irrigation that results in ponding, flooding, excessive runoff or marshy conditions.
• Watering during daylight hours, due to the higher evaporation rates.
• Filling a new swimming pool or draining and subsequent complete refilling of existing swimming
• pools (in some extremely limited situations related to health and safety needs and localized groundwater conditions, waivers may be considered).
• Refilling (topping off) swimming pools that are uncovered when not in use.
• Use of non-recycling decorative water fountains.
• Using hoses without quick-acting shutoff nozzles.
• Hosing off sidewalks, driveways, building exteriors.
• Any use of potable water related to street sweeping, sewer maintenance, gutter flushing, etc. Lawn and Landscape Irrigation Limitations

• April - May: Water no more than once per week
• June - September: Water no more than twice per week
• October - November: Water no more than once per week
• December - March: Do not water (landscape can be dormant).

Tips for residential water customers from the City of Pleasanton:

Top Ten Indoor Water Saving Habits

1. Replace inefficient dishwashers, cloths washers, and toilets with new high-efficiency models.
2. Only wash your clothes and dishes when you have a full load.
3. When you are washing dishes, turn the water off between rinses.
4. If you are waiting for the tap to warm up, catch the excess water and put it aside for later use.
5. In the bathroom, install low-flow showerheads and put aerators in your sink faucets.
6. Take shorter showers and turn your shower off while soaping up – challenge yourself and family members to reduce their shower time!
7. Don’t leave the faucet running while brushing your teeth, washing your face, or shaving.
8. Check and fix leaky toilets and faucets – Just 1 small leak can waste 5,000 gallons a year!
9. If you take a bath, use less water than you normally would to fill the tub.
10. Don’t use the toilet as a trash can – Only flush when necessary.

 Outdoor Watering & Landscaping

On average, nearly 50% of your water consumption occurs outside of the house. Inefficient outdoor watering can actually double the cost of your water bill!

Top 10 Outdoor Water Saving Changes

1. Change your lawn watering to every 3 days - or once per week.
2. Don’t mow lower than 2 ½ - 3 ½ inches to help promote lawn root growth – reducing your lawn’s need for frequent watering.
3. Shut off the sprinklers when it’s going to rain and during the cold winter months – water only when your plants need it!
4. Water in the mornings, before 10am, to reduce evaporation.
5. Periodically adjust your sprinklers to insure they’re watering your garden, not pavement.
6. Update parts of your irrigation system with a drip system – this will put water only where it’s needed.
7. Use mulch, like bark or wood chips, around your plants to reduce evaporation and keep the soil cool.
8. Xeriscape – landscape your yard with drought-tolerant plants and reduce your lawn area.
9. Make sure your landscaper is familiar with your water conservation approach, and tends to your yard accordingly.
10. Never leave the hose running when washing the car.

38,000 AF of water storage to meet 2014 water demands of 50,300 AF

Source: Zone 7 Flood Control & Water Conservation District

Zone 7 held a Water Resources Committee meeting April 16. Zone 7 has only 38,800 AF of water to supply water demands of 50,300.

A significant fact is that "Zone 7 is expecting no water supply from existing contracts in 2014." This means our water demands are being met by stored water.

The existing contracts where "no water" is coming from include:

• State Water Project, Feather River water stored in Lake Oroville (1961 contract, up to 80,619 AF per year through 2036, long-term average yield is only 48,400 AF) = 0 AF
• Yuba Accord, Yuba River water stored in the New Bullards Bar dam reservoir (2008 contract, up to 676 AF during drought conditions through 2025) = 0 AF
• Byron Bethany Irrigation District, diverted water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (1998 contract, up to 5,000 AF per year through 2030) = 0 AF
• Arroyo Valle runoff, diverted flows from the Lake Del Valle watershed (water rights shared with the Alameda County Water District, median is 7,100 AF per year since 1913) = 0 AF

 (AF = Acre Foot "As a rule of thumb in U.S. water management, one acre-foot is taken to be the planned water usage of a suburban family household, annually. In some areas of the desert Southwest, where water conservation is followed and often enforced, a typical family uses only about 0.25 acre-feet of water per year.")

That means the entire water supply for 2014 comes from our storage.

• State Water Project Carryover, unused SWP water from one year to the next when there is available storage in San Luis Reservoir (typically 10,000-15,000 AF per year) = 16,800 AF
• Del Valle Carryover, Lake Del Valle stored runoff = 0 AF
• Groundwater, the Livermore Valley Groundwater Basin (126,000 AF operational storage when basin is full at 254,000 AF. The basin is at 2/3 capacity leaving about 40,000 AF operational storage) = 20,500 AF
• Semitropic/Cawelo, water-banking in Kern County (represent water previously stored from Zone 7’s surface water supplies during wet years) = 1,500 AF