If the facts following do not jolt the senses of Californians into taking drought seriously, maybe nothing else will.
The Golden State, now on the third year of one of the worst droughts in the past century according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, has 82 percent of it in extreme or exceptional drought compared with 28 percent at the beginning of the year. The situation brings with it the obvious risks of wild fires and crop losses and surfaces the utter need of the state and localities to prepare for extreme weather conditions.
Community College Reaches Out: The North Orange County Community College in Anaheim has reached out to the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County in its effort to spread the advantage of education to the community in a meeting recently between the two organizations’ key officers. Fil-Am Chamber president Rodolfo (Jun) Jao is at extreme right.
Agriculture in the Central Valley, where half of the country’s fruits and vegetables are grown, has felt the effects of the drought. A billion dollars worth in revenues has already been lost in the industry that used to rake at least $45 billion and some 17,100 jobs already lost.
The impact of the recurring water lack should have been greater had it not been for underground water being pumped to augment water supply for agricultural purposes. Problems are expected to arise with underground aquifers being tapped at unsustainable rates with the situation being likened to a savings account where everybody withdraws from with no one making deposits.
No one is in a position to know whether this situation will end soon or last for many years. And hopes for El Nino to come to the rescue to stop the drought is fading.
Meanwhile, the common problem has resulted in some palliative measures on the part of local governments. In Anaheim, the local City Council has approved a mandatory water use restriction measure which focuses on outdoor conservation in compliance with the State Water Resources Control Board’s emergency drought regulations.
Champ Takes a Breather: Boxing Champ Manny Pacquiao takes from his hectic schedule to oblige to a photo of his fans. Manny, a heavy favorite, will defend his title in Macao against a bigger opponent Chris Algieri in November.
Under the water conservation measure, Anaheim residents have been prohibited from watering of outdoor landscapes or turf that cause excess runoff, using a hose in washing motor vehicle (except where the hose is fitted with a shutoff nozzle), washing down driveways and sidewalks with potable water except when addressing immediate health and safety need, and using potable water in a fountain or decorative water feature unless the water is re-circulated.
Additionally, two other mandates have been included to achieve additional water savings and this include: landscape irrigation has been limited to before 9:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m. to reduce evaporative water waste except spot watering with hose and nozzle or as necessary for irrigation system maintenance and repairs. Fire hydrant flushing has been eliminated for City hydrants unless the discharged water is captured or reused or the flushing is needed for immediate public health and safety reasons or to ensure compliance with drinking water standards.
The City of Anaheim continues to commit on focusing public education and community outreach “in order to achieve water saving”.
The education component of the water reducing usage has so far encouraged the community at large to do their part during the crisis and has helped reduce the per person water use of the city in the past decade by as much as 22 percent from a peak 114 gallons per day to the present 93 gallons per day. The figures have been reached in spite of the residential customers increasing by 5 percent.
Anaheim’s Turf Removal Program is another indicator of the City’s concerted community effort to save water and has shown significant increase in the number of applicants who want to avail of the program. The city government is offering a rebate of $3 per square foot of turf removed and replaced with California Friendly landscaping or artificial turf. Anaheim Public Utilities has also offered a number of incentives that will help customers save water inside and outside the home or office.