At least two environmental metrics have gotten worse this summer: California’s drought and Californians’ ability to conserve water.
Malibu’s numbers have dropped from 20 percent of total water conserved in April to only 10 percent in July.
“We still need to conserve, even if people aren’t getting penalties” Council Member Laura Rosenthal said at the Aug. 22 city council meeting. “We’re doing a worse and worse job every month.”
Before June, Malibu residents were restricted in their water usage by a state-mandated guideline called the “phased water conservation program.” The program specified water conservation targets for customers in Malibu’s District 29 and applied overcharge fees for residents who used too much water.
The phased water conservation program was effective at promoting mindful water usage but was only implemented as a reaction to emergency levels of drought. When those conditions changed earlier this year, the state board voted to lift the program.
Many took the state board’s decision as a signal to relax on conservation.
“The lifting didn’t mean we were out of the drought. The media coverage has given that indication,” Public Affairs Officer for Department of Public Works Kerjon Lee said. “That’s not the case; in fact, we’re looking at water conservation as a way of life for California — as the new normal.”
Lee’s comment echoes Gov. Jerry Brown’s executive order from May entitled “Making water conservation a California way of life.”
Lee went on to say that removing the phased water conservation program may have sent “mixed messages,” but despite its effectiveness at promoting conservation, it’s unlikely the program will be reinstated unless a similar emergency situation returns.
“With the loss of the penalties and the specific 36 percent reduction mandate, it will be harder to convince residents to conserve so, if anything, our job has become more difficult,” Rosenthal said in an email.
Gov. Jerry Brown approved a bill on Aug. 29 that allows water districts more teeth enforcing conservation levels. Proponents of the bill referenced Beverly Hills, which despite ample education efforts and outreach, did not meet its lackluster conservation trend until fines were implemented.
The bill outlines each individual water board to set the local conservation level for customers. Any customer who exceeds the set limit may be fined up to $500 for each hundred cubic feet of water (748 gallons) used above the limit. This fine would be added to the customer’s regular water bill.
The bill will not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2017.
In the meantime, without penalties to lean back on, the water board and the City of Malibu are working on education campaigns to stress the importance of water conservation.
“What we find in Malibu is, a lot of residents don’t really realize how much water they’re using on a regular basis,” Lee said.
One way of tracking water usage is through a smart meter, a digital meter that measures the amount of water used per household. The meter can detect leaks in systems and prevent overuse of water that might slip past an owner’s notice.
For many Malibu residents, their largest water usage is through irrigation and landscaping. The city is promoting greywater initiatives so homes can retain their landscaping while lowering water usage.
“It’s not about taking out grass and putting in artificial turf, but to find ways to preserve what they have and using what they have,” Jennifer Brown, senior environmental coordinator for the City of Malibu, said.
Depending on the size of residents’ systems, they may not need permits for their greywater usage.
With the rainy season upcoming, Brown said Malibu residents are in a good position to put rain barrels and cisterns to collect rain water.
More information on ways to reuse water is available at malibucity.org/graywater.
Currently, all of the city’s planned events were put into effect before the recent downtick in conservation numbers. The city is monitoring the situation and receiving monthly reports from LA County Waterworks.