Category: Trends

  • Homeowner Associations – Water Management Starts With The Contract

    Equity Management held a symposium concerning the drought in California and what homeowner associations should be focused on for excellent water management. There were several great presentations including one from Jon Epsten, an attorney at Epsten Grinnell & Howell. 

    Jon’s presentation focused on how the scope of work and contract can make a significant difference in water management. He explained how the HOA contract can be a road map for the landscape contractor by identifying the key elements of saving water. He recommends the following items be included in the homeowner association’s scope of work and contract for landscape maintenance to promote efficient water management.

     7 Water Management Tips for Homeowner Associations

    1. Contractor should review water usage on a monthly basis and report use to the board/management.
    2. Contractor should be a CLCA certified contractor. [Outside of California the contractor should be certified by your state or the Irrigation Association]
    3. Contractor should be required to monitor systems for leaks and sprinkler failures.
    4. Contractor shall regularly use a soil probe to measure soil moisture.
    5. Yearly walks of the property shall be conducted with the local water agency and contractor.
    6. Contractor should be familiar with rebate programs.
    7. Contractor should have an allowance for “routine” improvements (verified by photographs and receipts).

    Jon also stressed the burden of water conservation should be placed on the contractor not homeowner association. This should include a plan for conserving water with a recommended budget of improvements needed within 90 days of starting landscape maintenance work. This gives the contractor enough time to become familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of the system before making recommendations.

    These are excellent recommendations and appropriate for homeowner associations where water use is often one of the top three budget items. I am sure our readers might have some additional items to recommend and we’d love for you to share them in the comments section.
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  • Californians Unite Against The Drought

    Even as Californians unite against the drought, I have been forced to build a dam to hold back the amount of negative press surrounding how much water Californians have been using this year.  SF Gate reported in July “state data showed water use statewide has increased 1 percent over the past three years, despite calls from Gov. Jerry Brown for Californians to cut their water use by 20 percent during the drought.”  They went on to report “Southern California coastal cities increased water use by 8.4 percent, and the northeastern part of the state that runs from Oregon to Mono Lake saw a 5 percent increase. Meanwhile, the Sacramento region and northern coastal cities saw the biggest declines in water use, cutting back 13.5 percent and 12.3 percent, respectively. The Bay Area cut water use by 5 percent.”  The problem with reporting water use numbers in this manner suggests water use is static.  However, environmental factors make a significant impact on outdoor water use (the biggest percentage of water use by far in California) and simply comparing water use year over year ignores environmental factors.  This is one of the biggest challenges we face in water conservation.  We can’t take credit for excellent water conservation when temperatures decrease and rain fall increases and we shouldn’t have to take the criticism when rain fall decreases and temperatures rise.  We need to raise public awareness of all the factors influencing water use to better measure our progress in water conservation.

    The Real Numbers

    California has experience record heat this year.  Statewide temperatures in the first six months of the year were up by almost 5 degrees.  Southern California was even hotter with a 5.7 degree increase in temperature over last year.  In addition to record heat this year has been one of the driest on record.  Rainfall in Los Angeles for the past 12 months ending in July was just 40% of average. In San Diego they are experiencing their 6th driest 12 months of rainfall since they have been recording rainfall numbers.  The Inland Empire is experiencing the same challenges with temperatures and rainfall.  This is significant because half the population of the state lives in Southern California.  Winds were also extreme, especially during the months of April and May.

    Based on the following data, Southern California is a leader in water conservation, recycling and ground water recovery.  From 1985 to 2013 Southern Californians have achieved  a 24% reduction in potable water use per person.  Demand for water has remained relatively flat even though the population has increased by 5 million over this time period.  Comparing water demands during the last big drought in Southern California (2006-2007) to this year, Metropolitan Water District is reporting demands are down.   Comparing water demands during similar periods of drought are more valuable than just year over year numbers because of environmental factors.

    Incentives

    The rebate program is working in Southern California.  Metropolitan Water District increased the incentives earlier this year from $20 million to $40 million.  Applications for turf removal rebates soared during the first half of the year.  They went from almost zero to over 7 million square feet in just the month of July.  Water pricing has increased in Los Angeles over the past few years and now depending on the efficiency of your irrigation system it might cost as much as $16,000 a year to water an acre of turf.  This is getting consumer’s attention as they weigh the costs and benefits of turf.  Smart controller rebates have increase from $25 per station to $35 per station.  These incentives provide solutions to change water use habits for the long term instead of the short term gains experienced by water restrictions.

    Water Use Not Static

    Water use is not static due to environmental factors like, temperature, wind, rain fall and solar radiation.  They make a significant impact on the amount of water used. Beware of the water manager who guarantees a year over year water savings because one thing I can guarantee is the weather will change and that will create a change in water use.  Water pricing and incentives may also change and effect water use as well.  I encourage you to measure your water use regularly, and carefully consider environmental factors like rain fall and temperatures to fully understand the gains or losses experienced managing water.  The key to management is measurement, and in water management you need to focus on more than one measurement factor to determine the success or failure of your water management program.  Californians are really doing a great job battling the drought this year considering the rainfall and temperature situation.  This is good news because forecasters are lowering the probability of an El Nino winter this year in California and Califonians are going to have to due even more to battle the drought.

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  • 12 Amazing Facts About Water

    1. There is the same amount of water on earth today as when the earth was formed.  The water that came from your faucet could contain molecules ancient humans drank.
    1. Think about this the next time you scoop up a handful of almonds.  It takes over a gallon of water to produce just one almond.
    1. This is a great water fact for cocktail parties.  Frozen water is 9% lighter than water, which is why ice floats in water.
    1. An acre of corn will give off 4,000 gallons of water per day in evaporation.
    1. If the world population continues to grow at the current rate, by the end of the century the world will have over 10 billion people (There are over 7 billion people today).  Feeding this many people will require more food to be grown in the next 75 years than all the food ever produced in human history.  This food will require lots of water.
    1. A quarter of the world’s population is without safe drinking water.
    1. Two thirds of the water used in a home is used in the bathroom.
    1. Older toilets can use up to seven gallons of water per flush.  At five flushes per day that is almost 13,000 gallons per year.  Federal plumbing standards specify new toilets can only use 1.6 gallons per flush or almost 3,000 gallons per year.  That is still a lot of clean drinking water per flush.
    1. In a five minute shower we use 25 to 50 gallons of water.
    1. When water contains a lot of calcium and magnesium, it is called hard water.
    1. A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water.
    1. The United States uses nearly 80 percent of its water for irrigation and thermoelectric power.

    I hope you enjoyed these facts about water and will take some time to share some of your favorites with our readers.

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  • 5 Things You Need To Know: New Water Restrictions In California

    The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) approved emergency drought regulations on July 15 prohibiting the application of potable water to outdoor landscapes in a manner that causes runoff. They also approved prohibiting potable water in a fountain or other decorative water feature unless the water is part of a recirculating system. The new water restrictions also bar residents and commercial water users from using drinkable water to hose off sidewalks and driveways, or wash cars without a shutoff nozzle.

    The regulations start on August. 1. Violations of the water restrictions will be a criminal infraction, punishable by a fine of up to $500 for each day in which the violation occurs. Any employee of a public agency charged with enforcing laws will be able to write and issue a ticket to the violator. State regulators will also be able to fine urban water agencies $10,000 a day if they fail to implement water conservation plans.

    $500 fine for Runoff – What is Runoff?

    Runoff is defined in the regulation as any such water that flows onto adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, private and public walkways, roadways, parking lots, or structures. This is discretionary.  A fine of up to $500 for runoff is causing some property owners to panic, but the local officials know the importance of education in conservation and want to maintain good relationships with their customers.  The penalty is not a mandatory penalty, but an excellent way to gain the attention of water wasters.  Most local agencies will likely issue warnings and not jump directly to fines.

    Landscape Water Budgeting Allowed in Eligible Water Districts

    This is the real news nobody is talking about. Local water suppliers can now ask the water board for approval of an alternate plan that involves an allocation-based rate structure.  The allocation based rate structure is a way to charge consumers more for the water they waste.  The local water agencies determines based on the number for people in your home and the amount of landscape area you have, how much water you should be using.  When you cross the normal amount the price goes up significantly.  This gives owners the opportunity to properly manage their water and move away from actions like two day a week watering.  This has proven to be a much better way to provide incentive for owners to save water.

    What You Can do to Reduce Runoff?

    Advanced techniques such as programming controllers with short runtimes and multiple cycle starts, commonly referred to as “cycle and soak”, allows water the opportunity to infiltrate into the soil while minimizing runoff. By reprogramming a spray zone to run for 4 minutes with 2 start times instead of one long 10 minute runtime we can easily reduce watering by 20% while reducing runoff.

    Smart controllers are designed to specifically apply precise amounts of water to the landscape by modifying watering schedules on a daily basis. Smart controllers typically reduce consumption by 15% to 20% in comparison to conventional controllers. For existing smart controller users, most smart controllers have the ability to reduce daily auto generated, ET watering schedules by an additional percentage.

    Consider high efficiency nozzles and pressure regulation. High efficiency nozzles are designed to apply water with more uniform coverage at low application rates which minimize the potential of runoff. When coupled with pressure regulated sprinklers, irrigation efficiency can improve by 20% which will assist in meeting watering restrictions. Just remember even though high efficiency nozzles apply water more efficiently, they do so at low application rates which require slightly longer run times.

    Convert overhead irrigation to drip irrigation. Replacing overhead sprinklers with low flow, high efficiency drip irrigation is an excellent way to save water especially in sparsely planted shrub beds. When drip conversions are added to turf conversions, water savings can be as high as 60% to 75%. By applying water directly to the plant where it is needed and not to bare soil, efficient water usage can be maximized. Drip irrigation also virtually reduces the possibility of runoff and wasted water.

    The drought appears to be getting worse in California.  The state used more water this year compared to last year, but it has been much hotter and rain fall is down significantly.  Judging by the amount of calls we received last week The State Water Resources Control Board has been successful gaining the attention of water users with potential fines.  I think the most important thing to remember is the response to drought needs to include changes that impact long term water use habits.  Property owners should take advantage of the rebates available today and make long term changes to their irrigation systems using the technology available to save water.

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  • WHY IS MY WATER BILL A MYSTERY?

    Water bills are a challenge for most consumers to understand and getting more complicated.  If I ask someone who drives, what is the price of a gallon a gas they can respond in a few seconds and be relatively close to the exact amount they would pay at their local gas station.  If I ask the same person about the price of a barrel of oil sometimes they know, but if they are able to use the internet, they will have the price in a matter of minutes.  If I ask the same person how much they are paying for a gallon of water and how much water do they use I get a confused look.  If I give them their water bill and a calculator they may be able to give me the price in 10 – 15 minutes.  In order to conserve water it is important to know how much you use and how much you pay for the water.

    Traditional Water Rates

    When traditional water pricing is discussed it is assumed a fixed charge on a monthly basis for water.  For example, approximately 60% of the homes in Sacramento California pay a fixed rate for water.  It doesn’t matter how much or little they use they are charged the same amount every month.  Most fixed rate water structures charge a nominal amount for water.   Another traditional pricing is the simple uniform rate.  Consumers pay the same amount for each gallon of water they use.  Sounds simple, but where this gets tricky is determining how much water you use.  Almost all water bills quote the amount of water in HCF or CCF not gallons.

    • HCF stands for 100 cubic feet of water.  There are 748 gallons of water in 100 cubic feet.  When your bill reads 6 HCF you need to multiply 6 by 748 to get the total of 4488 gallons of water
    • CCF also stands for 100 cubic feet of water.  The first C is the Roman numeral “C” for 100.  The following CF is cubic feet.  Once again you need to multiply the units by 748 to know how much you pay a gallon

    You also will typically see a water base fee or meter charge in addition to your use.  This is typical for most rate structures as well as a sewer charge.  A sewer charge should not apply to water used for landscapes and if you have a separate meter for your landscape water you should not be paying a sewer fee for that water.

    Simple Tiered Water Bill

    In a tiered pricing structure consumers pay more as they use more.  The tiered pricing increases in steps as more water is used.  Below is a typical tiered water price structure:

    Tier Amount in gallons Price per 1000 gallons
    Tier 1    0 – 8000 $4.79
    Tier 2     8001 – 22,000 $5.51
    Tier 3     22,001 – 30,000 $6.88
    Tier 4  Over 30,000 $10.33

    Please notice the tiered rates are per 1000 gallons not CCF or HCF.  The fixed fees we discussed earlier also apply to tiered rate pricing. Your tiered rate pricing is going to vary depending on if the property is a single family residence, commercial property or multi-family housing property. 

    Budgeted Tiered Water Bill

    A water budgeted tiered rate structure is sometimes referred to as a goal system, allocated system or customer specific water rate.  For water budget tiered rates the water utility determines how much water a consumer should use.  The utility takes into account variables like square footage of landscape, daily weather and climate, and season of the year, as well as the number of people in the household.  A water budget or goal is established and then depending on how much less or more than the estimated budget for the property an amount is charged for water. Below is an example of a tiered water budget rate schedule:

    Tier Amount of Budget Price per 1000 gallons
    Tier 1: Excellent Use 75% $2.49
    Tier 2: Efficient Use 76% – 100%  $4.29
    Tier 3: Inefficient  101%- 140%  $8.79
    Tier 4: Excessive Over 140% of budget $16.41

    In this example it is easy to see conservation is rewarded with significantly lower water rates. There are many variations of this rate schedule used by water agencies.  I have seen rates much higher than these and consumers placed into the excessive categories at a much lower % of budget. The incentive for conservation is high and as water agencies implement these types of rates they have been very generous with the budgets they have been determining.  In the future I believe we will see  stricter budgets and higher percentage increases as water use surpasses the water budget.

    As a homeowner or building owner or manager it is important to know what type of water rate structure your property is under.  It is also important to carefully manage to the structure.  Monthly or weekly meter reading and smart controllers, with flow sensing can help you determine where you are on consumption and help you make adjustments to stay in the lower tiered rates.  Water bills have been complicated in the past and are getting more complex in the future, but a thorough understanding and monitoring of the bills will pay off.

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  • Desalination – A Foolproof Solution for Water Scarcity?

    71% of the earth is covered by oceans and weekly I get the same question – Why don’t we just use ocean water to solve the water problems you keep talking about? Removing salt from water, especially ocean water in coastal communities is an option for solving our water issues.  Desalination is the process used to remove salt and minerals from seawater or brackish water (brackish water is less salty than sea water and more salty than fresh water and usually comes from combining the two).  Sometimes this is called desalting and Alan likes to call it desal.

    How Does It Work?

    There are two popular technologies currently used for the desalination process.  One is membrane technology.  This process uses pressure to force water through a membrane that does not allow the salt particles to pass.  You probably know this process by the term reverse osmosis.   Sometimes instead of using pressure to drive the water through the membrane electricity is used and we call this a voltage-driven process.

    A thermal process is when salt water is heated which produces vapor and then condensed and collected as fresh water.  This is very similar to the evaporation process of ocean water and explains why rain water is not salty.  When the ocean is heated by the sun the water evaporates and escapes as vapor the salt does not evaporate and is left behind.

    Benefits of Desalination

    97% of the world’s water is salt water.  Desalination of salt water provides an unlimited supply of water to the world’s population.  As demand for water grows and the population increases desalination provides a source of water that can meet our new demands for water.

    The costs for desalination are moving lower, and the quality of the water is very high.  Combining this with the availability for water makes desalination attractive to many people around the world.

    So What’s the Problem With Desalination? 

    The first challenge is cost of the water produced.  As mentioned above the cost is decreasing overall, but even in coastal communities we find the cost of desal water to be about twice the cost of traditional water supplies.

    Another expense is the cost of energy needed to operate a desalination plant.  According to a congressional research service report approximately 33% to 50% of the operating costs of a desalination plant are for electricity.

    In addition to costs what we do with the brine created in the desalination process is a big issue.  If the highly concentrated salt water is disposed back into the ocean there is chance the salt will sink to the ocean bottom and may have an adverse effect on marine organisms.  What to do with the brine is one of the most volatile issues when discussing desal.

    We are seeing some large projects under construction in the U.S.  After twelve years of planning and over six years in the state’s permitting process, the Carlsbad $1 billion desalination project has received final approvals.  The San Diego Water Authority has contracted with the plant to purchase all the water produced.  It is going to be piped from the coast (where the desal process will take place) to San Diego County Water Authority Aqueduct in San Marcos.  The plant is a reverse osmosis plant and should be producing water by 2016.

    There is a need for additional sources of water. As the price of water increases these options look better and better.  It also seems like a bet on desalination is a bet against conservation and the new water saving technologies like smart controllers for your landscape.  The desalination plant in Carlsbad is an example of an investment in water supply for the future when traditional water is much more expensive (estimates are the year 2020 before this plant is competitive in pricing).  Desalination could also be viewed as insurance for conservation.  If we can’t conserve ourselves out of the problem we have a more expensive option to fall back on.  One thing is for sure, we have to examine all the possibilities because the consequences are too dire and the answer I imagine will be a collection of ideas and not one specific solution.

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  • The Water Bond – 2014

    We learned about water stocks and water banks so it just seems natural to make the next step to water bonds.  In this case specifically, the California Water Bond or as many people like to refer to it as – The Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act.  The hope is with additional funding of $11 billion, residents of California can rest knowing they won’t have to worry about water for the next 50 years or so.  The Water Bond will pay for some very important water projects in California including:

    •  $3 billion for water storage projects
    •  $2.25 billion for projects that “support delta sustainability options”.
    •  $1.7 billion for ecosystem and watershed protection and restoration projects in 21 watersheds.
    •  $1.4 billion for “integrated regional water management projects”
    •  $1.25 billion for “water recycling and advanced treatment technology projects”.
    •  $1 billion for groundwater protection and cleanup
    •  $455 million for drought relief projects, disadvantaged communities, small community wastewater treatment improvements and safe drinking water revolving fund.

    What is a General Obligation Bond

    A municipal bond backed by the credit and “taxing power” of the issuing jurisdiction rather than the revenue from a given project.  In this case the issuing jurisdiction is the state of California and they would be adding to their current bond debit of $89 billion.  California would borrow money from investors at a low interest rate and pay the principal plus interest back over time. The repayment period varies but typically is 30 years.  The bonds can be traded at any time during the repayment period.  The interest rate tends to be low because the bonds are exempt from Federal and sometimes State taxes.

    How Do These Projects Help

    In the Metropolitan Water District’s service area in Southern California more than half of the storm water created runs off into the ocean without a chance to recharge ground water supplies.  The biggest allocation of funds in the water bond will be for water storage projects which will help capture more storm water.  Capturing more storm water allows California to rely less on imported water.

    The bond also pays for “delta sustainability options”.  This includes twin tunnels dug under the California delta to move water from North-to-South underneath the Delta to southerly farms and cities.  This way the East-West surface water flows for fish migration could be restored.

    Will this Water Bond Pass

    This will be up to voters.  The probability of passing increases each day the drought continues.  We could be experiencing the perfect storm to pass the bond.  More farming communities are struggling each day and with little or no rain in California the focus of water has become huge.  The cost of the bond with repayment at 2% interest (a good rate for municipal bonds in California today) will be $14.6 billion.  This equals $400 per person in California (36.5 million people) over 30 years or a little more than $13 dollars per person per year.  This doesn’t sound like a lot of money to firm up water to the 12th largest economy in the world where without water, we know the economy will dry up.

    What is the Problem

    There are arguments against the water bond.  The biggest argument seems to be it is too costly and maybe the cost is inflated. Others believe the better solution is conservation.  They suggest conservation can bring reductions in water use at a lower price tag.

    The California Water Bond is going to be a large focus of the California 2014 election.  There are many very bright people looking at the bond and possible alternatives.  This is great news because something has to be done about water and the sooner the better.  Eliminating uncertainty about water in an urban area ensures growth and future business investment.  I hope you will share your thoughts and ideas about the bond with others on the blog as well as other voters who may not be informed on the issue.

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  • The Water Bank — Water For A Not So Rainy Day

    Water banks have been operating for years now, but generally not known to anyone outside the water industry.  Thanks to a recent withdrawal by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California of 80,000 acre-feet from their water savings account in Lake Mead last year and the announcement of another withdrawal soon, (estimated to be twice as large as the last one) many people are now learning about and discussing water banks.

    What is a water bank

    The term water banking describes a number of ways to manage water during times of rain and times of drought.  The basic concept is probably just what you are thinking.  If you receive a yearly allotment of water and do not need to use all of the allotment you can save or bank some of the water to use at a future date.  This is the basic concept and there are many variations of the concept.  Water banks can vary in the amount of participation they take in the exchange of water.  Sometimes a bank will be a broker, or clearing house and sometimes market maker (A market maker might buy or sell water rights to create liquidity for the market).  You have heard the term, “We don’t have a water shortage. We have a water storage and delivery system problem.”  The concept of water bank solves some of the problem. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California receives a water allotment of around a million acre feet a year.  During rainy periods of MWD is able to take less water and store the savings in Lake Mead for a not so rainy day.

    Who runs the water bank

    A water bank can be either a public or private entity.  The direction of the water bank is generally given by an elected board of directors.  However, I did find one water bank near Fresno California owned an operated by one person, Marvin Meyers.

    Kern County California has a water vault

    The vault/bank is just West of Bakersfield and was created due to an interesting geological formation called an alluvial fan. The groundwater bank  stores all the water underground in a “vault” so checking your balance involves a little bit of guesstimating. The Kern Water Bank can store around 326 billion gallons of water underground. Also, not all the water you put into the vault stays where you put it.  Some of the water can move or leak to another area.  As a result the bank forecast around 4% of your deposit will never be withdrawn.  Think ATM fee.

    Why do we care

    Water banks should provide peace of mind for times of drought.  The concept provides additional ways to store water and deliver water to locations in need.  However, typically the geographical areas banking water experience similar drought and rain conditions.  In times of severe drought the concerns for a water bank are similar to the concerns of a money bank during a depression.  If everyone attempts to withdraw their deposits at the same time how much will actually be available?  Also, could it be possible we would reduce or stop water flow to one geographic area just so another area that banked water could make their withdrawal?

    Fortunately there are rules.  There is a cap on how much water can be withdrawn annually.  California’s cap is  400,000 acre – feet a year.  More importantly you can’t make a withdrawal if there is a declared shortage on the river or if your withdrawal would create a shortage.  These rules seem necessary, but also can be viewed as a disincentive for banking water.

    There are many other water banks around the United States you can learn more about Arizona Water Banking Authority, Southern Nevada Water Bank,  Texas Water Bank and Trust and Idaho Water Bank.  I think the  concept of water banking is beneficial for all of us and only wish there was an easier way for me to bank water.  Water Banks also have a few drawbacks, but with additional focus on them now many of those drawbacks can be overcome.

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