Comment Log Display

I applaud California's efforts to address resource issues in the
State that will hopefully spill over to prompt address of these
issues throughout the western United States. 

I provide the following comment regarding the Preliminary
Recommendations on Water (Section II.B.8, page 28) from the
perspective of a water engineer dealing with water scarcity issues
throughout the intermountain west: 
 - The goal of a 20 percent reduction in water use appears to be
primarily targeted through efficiency measures. Efficiency does
not reduce water use, it only improves the (over)use of this
scarce resource. 
 - Agricultural irrigation constitutes the vast majority of water
use in the western United States. Lawn irrigation and outside
irrigation in municipal areas represent the majority of water use,
outside of water-intensive industries.  
 - In order to really reduce water use, the most effective measure
in your arsenal is to put municipal users on irrigation rotations
and to limit their outdoor water use. The combination of 1)
allowing residential/municipal irrigation no more frequently than
every other day, 2) precluding irrigation between 10 am and 6 pm,
and 3) hiring personnel to enforce these restrictions and issues
fines for offenders (with escalation of fine amounts for repeat
offenders) can and will work. Similar efforts by the Denver Water
Board has resulted in 30 percent reduction in outdoor water use
within its service area.
 
Proximity to the ocean combined in some locations in California
with a temperate Mediterranean climate may seem to signify an
excess of water. The reality, though, is the arid west grows and
is alive only because of man?s conveyance of irrigation water. The
extent to which the actual water use is reduced, with or without
efficiency measures, is the true barometer of the future growth
and vitality of the economic engine underlying that growth. 

I appreciate the opportunity to comment and welcome any comments
or questions you may have. 

Respectfully yours, 
Rick Parsons 
Associate 
Leonard Rice Engineers, Inc. 
303.455.9589 
1.800.453.9589 
303.455.0115 (fax) 
www.lrcwe.com