Ben Franklin wrote, “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” The new addendum should be, “and the rising cost of water.” USA Today, The Oregonian, ValleyCrest Takes On and now Fast Company have taken notice, attributing the water rate increases to aging infrastructure and the rising cost of energy. Regardless of the reasons, water rate increases have
I am more excited about Smart Irrigation Month this year than past years because so many people are getting involved. I have already seen a significant increase over past years in the amount of publicity the first day of Smart Irrigation Month. It feels like we are building excellent momentum. The Irrigation Association created
Two years ago we launched ValleyCresttakeson.com and it has been amazing how many people helped make a difference in water conservation. Thank you to all of you who have shared your expertise, contributed ideas, and helped raise awareness about water. We couldn’t have done it without you. Most of the work on the blog is
At the last Water Conference sponsored by the Irrigation Association I was interested to hear Peter Williams, Chief Technology Officer, from IBM Big Green Innovation speak about water. Peter quickly grabbed everyone’s attention when he pointed out 40% of the food grown in the United States goes uneaten. This food is fruits and vegetables
This is going to be the third consecutive year of drought in the West and we are feeling an impact. The water source in Colorado’s Front Range is in short supply. 100 percent of the state is experiencing some level of drought, snowpack is at 70 percent of the long-term average and just 91 percent
By now we’re all pretty well programmed to conserve electricity. Turn off the lights, unplug appliances, don’t leave the refrigerator door open, etc. But we’re missing a really important point: the energy-water connection. Almost one fifth of California’s energy is used to move water. Water conservation and water management are becoming vital to energy conservation.
In October a print version of this post was written and published in Lawn & Landscape Magazine under the title of “The Future of Water.” The response was so positive we are posting it here. What’s the issue? Every second the urban population grows by two people. Fifty percent of the world’s population lives in
Inspect what you expect We have all heard the term, “Inspect what you expect.” Measurement of performance is one of the quickest ways to inspire change. The water management industry could benefit from real time water use data to measure and report the amount of water used on a daily basis. The non-profit group Charity