A Guy Can Dream, Can't He?

May 11th update--Water usage is up.  Maybe people don't take the drought seriously because all they see around them is new construction and approvals for even more?

Comments

[resident]

Yes, we are Oh for Three. I can't remember who came before Kamala.

[Joe]

From the City e-newsletter today....LOL

Reminder to Conserve Water

The Bay Area remains in a drought due to three years of less than average rainfall. The California Water Watch website tracks and shares information on the state’s water supply conditions – check out Burlingame’s water statistics here. Water customers are asked to remain vigilant, particularly regarding outdoor water use. For more information, click here.

The link takes you to BAWSCA's site: https://bawsca.org/community/drought

[Joe]

Here is another indication that It Ain't That Bad and We Can Just Keep Building.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — California officials have nixed a proposal for a $1.4 billion desalination plant but say they're open to growing the state's capacity to turn Pacific Ocean seawater into drinking water to buffer against persistent drought.

After an hours-long hearing, members of a state coastal panel on Thursday unanimously rejected a proposed desalination plant for Southern California over concerns the facility would kill marine life and drive up the cost of water.

The vote by the California Coastal Commission, which is tasked with protecting the state’s scenic shoreline, dealt a blow to the long-running proposal by Brookfield Infrastructure Partners-owned Poseidon Water.

The plan had the backing of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in his push to combat drought conditions plaguing the state, which are expected to worsen with climate change. But commissioners weren't convinced and said the plant would damage marine ecosystems and make water too pricey in an area of California that has other cheaper and more environmentally sound water sources including a renowned wastewater recycling program.
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"make water too pricey" Ha!

“When the well is dry we know the value of water”

― Benjamin Franklin

[Joe]

The well continues to run closer to dry. Today's news:

In sweeping water curtailments stretching from Fresno to the Oregon state line, state regulators ordered cities and growers in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed to stop pumping from rivers and streams, CalMatters’ Rachel Becker reports. Starting today, the cutbacks will hit 4,252 water rights holders, including at least 400 held by 212 public water systems. The curtailments are concentrated around the San Joaquin River and its tributaries, where state officials expect “significant, very deep cuts.” And they’re “affecting water users that may have not been impacted in well over 100 years, or were affected for the first time just last year,” Ryan Jacobsen, CEO of the Fresno County Farm Bureau, told Rachel.

Meanwhile, statewide water use continues to trend in the wrong direction. Urban Californians increased their water use 17.6% in April compared to the same point two years ago, new data shows — barely an improvement from the 19% uptick in March. Overall, California has slashed its water use by just 2% compared to 2020 levels since last July, when Newsom begged residents to conserve 15%.