As California faces its worst drought in decades and a hot summer season looms, city officials are urging locals to conserve and reuse water wisely.
After Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought state of emergency in January, the city began implementing several water-saving programs.
“We recognize California is in one of the worst long-standing droughts ever,” said deputy building official Craig George, who works with the city’s Environmental Sustainability Department.
Along with its own regulations during the drought, the city is also promoting incentives offered by the state/county to residents who do their part to conserve during the emergency drought season.
No daytime irrigation allowed
In response to the drought emergency, the city has implemented an irrigation prohibition from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Residents are also completely restricted from washing cars, driveways and patios with a hose.
Doug Carlson, an information officer with the California Department of Water Resources, said the best thing people can do is cut back significantly on landscaping. He also advises people not to hose down their cars.
“Modern carwashes recycle their water, but if you are going to wash it down yourself, use a bucket rather than a running hose,” he said.
If Malibu residents are caught washing cars or rinsing their driveway, the city could issue a written warning. Subsequent violations result in $100 fines. Locals are advised never to leave their hoses running and to use a broom on their driveways and patios.
On the service industry side, Malibu restaurants are currently barred from serving water unless requested by customers.
Water- and money-saving alternatives
Under the Cash for Grass program, landowners receive a $2-per-square-foot rebate from the Southern California Metropolitan Water District for every square foot of grass they remove.
Artificial turf is a viable alternative for a lush green lawn, and it cuts watering expenses.
Large recreational areas such as parks and schools have systems that utilize reclaimed water to irrigate, but residential properties lack proper plumbing for the same type of system.
Additionally, rebates are offered for replacing toilets, laundry machines, irrigation controllers, sprinkler nozzles, soil moisture sensor systems and turf removal.
Homeowners can also have the city survey current landscape irrigation, evaluate irrigation needs and give proper instruction to set up timers, and budding water recyclers can obtain free rain barrels to help reuse every drop of water efficiently.
Drought’s effects on farming
Given Malibu’s small but vibrant farming community, it’s also crucial to note the toll the drought has taken on agriculture, on both large and small scales.
Groundwater sources are drying up, and there’s nothing humans can do to replenish them, according to UC Davis Professor Richard Howitt. Howitt is the lead author for a new study released by the university on watershed sciences. He said as farmers pump water deeper and deeper from underground wells, water tables become lower and lower.
“When the groundwater is gone, it’s gone. Only mother nature can replenish it,” Howitt said. “It’s like taking money out of a bank and not putting it back.”
Howitt said growers throughout California are using backup supplies of groundwater to sustain long-term investment crops. But groundwater use lacks state regulation, so the supply could dwindle without any oversight.
“If we had measurements and management of groundwater, then we would have a system and the water would be correctly priced, but because it is unmeasured and unregulated, it is like fishery — what you catch, you will get,” he said.
Clarification:
In a prior version of this story, it was stated that the City of Malibu is offering rebate incentives for replacing toilets, laundry machines, irrigation controllers, sprinkler nozzles, soil moisture sensors and turf. The city promotes rebates offered by the county, but does not directly issue rebates. Visit malibucity.org/rebates for a full list of current rebate programs.