Laserfiche WebLink
<br />California has a very extensive and active water <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />conservation program. Not only has the state legislature enacted <br /> <br />~ laws outlining conservation policy and specific measures, but <br />communities, water districts, state agencies and irrigation <br /> <br />districts have passed regulations and instituted voluntary <br />programs to prevent water waste. This paper will present a brief <br /> <br />overview of the ways California, and particularly the state's <br /> <br />Department of Water Resources, attempts to conserve its limited <br /> <br />water supplies. <br /> <br />I. URBAN WATER CONSERVATION <br /> <br />A. Interior Residential Use <br /> <br />The easiest target for water conservation has been <br /> <br />residential use, which in California accounts for 62% of urban <br />water use.1 It has also proven to be the least expensive method <br /> <br />since it tries to modify individual water use habits rather than <br /> <br />allocating funds for new water supply systems or extensive <br /> <br />changes to existing systems. Toilet flushing accounts for 39% of <br /> <br />total residential water use. The California legislature <br /> <br />addressed this problem by requiring low flush toilets in new <br /> <br />buildings under Section 17921.3 of the state's Health and Safety <br /> <br /> <br />Code.2 Many municipalities require that older toilets be <br /> <br />retrofitted to meet conservation guidelines at the time the <br /> <br />i <br />. <br /> <br />property is sold. The city of Carmel has such an ordinance (See <br />Exhibit #3). There has been discussion of requiring retrofitting <br />at the time of resale of property on a statewide basis, but to <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />date a law to enforce this has not been enacted. Gray water <br />