Governor and water district call for voluntary conservation
The Santa Clara Valley Water District asked residents in June to voluntarily cut water use by 10 percent. Agency directors did this after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a drought in the state for the second year in a row.
In July, district directors reviewed their water resources and noted that without increased conservation efforts, the agency would probably not meet the increased demand in the consumption of water due to population growth expected by the year 2040.
Mandatory conservation plan will be adopted if waste continues
The directors could, therefore, adopt a mandatory conservation plan on Aug. 26 when they meet again to consider staff recommendations.
The district is also ready to start a water conservation campaign to raise awareness about the fragile state of the Delta, the region's major water supplier and the Sierra Nevada snowpack.
A mandatory conservation plan could include anything from yet another water rate increase, to penalties for residents who waste water.
Plan could include penalties
The only proven ways of changing consumers' habits is when sanctions impact their pockets and wallets and violations and overuse mean penalties. An increase in the price of water would probably cut some water use, but we're afraid it would hurt those who need the resource the most such as struggling farmers.
The agency should consider penalties such as those imposed in Mountain View. Morgan Hill is doing just that. The city is ready to begin enforcing certain water prohibitions in September such as penalizing those responsible for water runoff on sidewalks, have broken or defective plumbing irrigation systems, using hoses without shut-off devices, washing vehicles with a hose that doesn't have a shut-off device, and requiring restaurants to only serve water to customers upon request.
Act now
Contact the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors by logging onto www.valleywater.org, calling (408) 265-2600 or writing to 5750 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, CA 95118-3686.
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