State

Change faucets, not habits

How technology can solve California's water crisis

By Josh Curtis
From the September 2008 Print Edition

California has a water crisis. Most people who understand the history of this great state will realize that California is not naturally host to large stores of water. Much of California’s population growth, commerce, its status as the “breadbasket of America,” and its everyday life has been driven by water primarily taken from other regions and states. Southern California, in particular, with its warm and dry Mediterranean climate, is highly dependent on water taken from elsewhere. Southern California derives most of its water from the California Aqueduct, which is routed from Northern California’s delta region, and from Lake Mead, which constitutes the re-routed portion of the Colorado River which was established with the construction of the Hoover Dam in the early 20th century.

With water levels in California’s reservoirs predicted to be at their lowest levels in 30 years, and with Governor Schwarzenegger having declared an official drought, it is clear that a solution is needed to the widespread water shortage California is currently facing, and will continue to face—unless action is taken. Many would say that the only way to resolve the water issue is simple: conserve more, and consume less. But what is simple is not always easy. Trying to alter public behavior which is deeply ingrained is no easy task, as much research has shown over the years. And Californians’ water habits are certainly deeply ingrained. For decades—with the exception of the occasional but often short-lived serious drought—Californians have had the privilege of being able to water their lawns, irrigate their crops, flush their toilets, and wash their clothes, cars, and dishes as much as they desired.

With new devices, Californians may well be able to continue doing all these things—and more importantly, we will be saved from facing the unpleasant quandary of having to choose between cutting back on water use dramatically and suffering deeper drought.

Water-saving technologies have been developed for nearly every kind of water-using device you can think of, including every thing from public urinals to washing machines to irrigation systems. What most of these technologies help facilitate is, in fact, conservation of water—but to the daily experience and actions of most Californians, the use of these new devices will hardly require a conscious, conscientious decision to abstain from consuming too much water. In fact, many of these technologies actually allow for a more hands-off approach than our current, conventional methods. By promptly implementing water-saving technologies, we can pre-empt a further and potentially more devastating drought which would otherwise strike. According to a report released by the Pacific Institute of Oakland, CA, water consumption can be reduced by up to 1/3 simply by instituting these already readily available water-conserving technologies.

Let us examine some examples of everyday fixtures of our lives that we can upgrade to conserve more water through the simple use of technology. The bathroom—perhaps the least savory of all rooms in a home and certainly the least savory room in public places—is also one of the most voracious in its consumption of water. The toilet alone is the number 1 source of tremendous water usage. By some estimates, 40 percent of all water consumed domestically is flushed down the toilet; this amounts to 13,000 gallons of fresh water per year. In other words, out of all of the water used by all of the homes in the United States, a whopping 40 percent of that comes from the single act of flushing toilets. And let’s not forget the shower: in second place when it comes to water use, the shower takes up 30 percent of all domestic water use. Combine that with the bathroom sink, which takes up 5 percent of all the water used in homes as well as 2,500 gallons of water per year; all together, the bathroom comprises 75 percent of home water use in the United States.

However, there are relatively simple technologies which can drastically drive down not only your daily and yearly water use, but also the cost of your water bills. The installation of ultra-low flush toilets—which are already required in the construction of new homes nationwide—can bring down the water use from as much as 5.5 gallons per flush (gpf) all the way down to as little as .7 gallons a flush. Low-flow showerheads and low-flow faucet heads can also significantly reduce your water consumption, without your even noticing a difference. Low-flow aerators, which can be used with faucets, conserve water by simply lowering the amount of water flowing from the faucet while mixing the water with air, enabling a faucet to be high-power and use less water at the same time. High efficiency front-loading washers can also be of much use in lowering water and electricity consumption, as well as costs. Now required as part of a California state mandate ordering the sale of only these new kinds of washing machines, high efficiency front-loading washers should be soon lowering costs and consumption all over the state—and once again, it will not require any concerted, conscious effort on behalf of consumers to dramatically change their behavior.

Another way in which households can reduce water usage—in this case a method which does not require new technologies—is the simple process of merely fixing all the leaks in the plumbing and irrigation system. This is estimated to reduce water usage by about 10%, while also lowering water costs which would otherwise be wasted. In older irrigation systems, 50 percent of water can be wasted due to leaks, and in some cases even up to 75 percent, according to the California Urban Water Conservation Council.

For the public domain, there are also many solutions. In public bathrooms, no-flush, water-less urinals are on the rise. According to the “California Report”, the Regal Movie Theater in Dublin, CA, the theater has replaced 15 traditional urinals with the new, no-flush urinals, which utilize an oil-laden cartridge in the drain which simultaneously eliminates odors and processes the fluids with which it comes in contact. This new technology will save the theater 700,000 gallons of water each year, not to mention a significant amount of money for a profit-driven business. Others, such as Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA has followed suit, installing no-flush urinals in the men’s room of its library, saving money while helping avert a deeper drought.

Irrigation for agriculture and landscaping are other areas much in need of both lowering costs and water usage. Thankfully, there are many options. While some may opt for xeriscaping—landscaping with only native plants—others can keep their lawns and their crops through the use of new technologies such as drip irrigation, rotating nozzles, and smart timers. Instead of relying on potentially costly and wasteful sprinklers and hoses, homeowners and farmers can use “smarter” devices. Drip irrigation, for instance, relies on a network of sensors, tubes, and valves, which together coordinate the precise outflow of “drips” of water required to fully irrigate a selected crop or plant. Rotating nozzles can be used in existing sprinkler systems to make your sprinklers more precise, ultimately saving 20 percent more water than a standard sprinkler. The City of Anaheim, an avid advocate of the implementation of rotating nozzles which offers rebates to residents using the devices, notes that rotating nozzles work by utilizing “multi-trajectory, rotating streams that apply water more slowly and uniformly than conventional sprays and rotors.” The city also points out that rotating nozzles can aid in establishing “effective pattern options or pattern adjustment to reduce overspray” as well as “resistance to the negative effects of wind,” which all helps in reducing runoff, due to the low precipitation rate of the new technology.

Smart timers, also referred to as “self-adjusting irrigation systems”, can save 10% of the yearly water use of an average household. Smart timers depend on signals from satellite messages indicating the current weather as well as the weather forecast, telling you how long to water the lawn and how much water you need to use. After you enter in basic facts about the desired subject of irrigation such as plant type, soil type, and the like, the smart timer system will not only inform you of how long and how much the plant needs to be watered, but will automatically implement such recommendations by itself. Depending upon the system, some smart timers can even be programmed and updated manually from anywhere in the world, allowing globe-trotting jet-setters to manage their lawn in the Golden State from Beijing, New Delhi, or even Reykjavik. Orange County has led the way with smart timers, as more than 4,000 businesses and homes in the Southern California county have already installed smart timers, much to their satisfaction.

By extending even rebates and other financial assistance to those making the transition to newer technologies which conserve more water, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California offers incentives to businesses and families who seek to use new technology such as smart timers to conserve water. Many other metropolitan water districts and states across the country also offer such financial support—another added bonus of adopting the newer technologies.

Clearly, there is a water crisis in California. Thankfully, however, there also exist a number of ways this can crisis can be tackled without having to resort to older forms of stale and inhibitory water conservation. Technology has allowed us to continue to do the things we enjoy every day, while at the same time lowering our own personal bills and lessening the likelihood of a deeper, more serious drought. These new technologies enable us to cut water consumption without even having to think about it, and therein lay their brilliance. It is not easy to change habits, but it certainly is to change faucets and showerheads.

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