News
California Water Use On The Rise – Despite Drought!
You’d hope that if there was a serious drought going on that businesses would prioritise commercial rainwater harvesting and other such measures to help, and that consumers would try to limit their use of water for as long as they need to.
But it seems as though the message isn’t getting through to some over in the US, with KPCC reporting earlier this month (February 14th) that overall water use is on the rise in southern California, even though the state has found itself in a drought once again.
The drought emergency status in the region was lifted 12 months ago and water usage has been climbing steadily ever since then, particularly in a six-county area that includes the biggest proportion of the state’s 40 million residents.
In this part of the state, water use was up by three per cent in December – with many of the area’s biggest offenders the most well off communities out there… most likely because of all the lawns that need watering.
Water officials have said that many other local communities have dropped their water use to below the national average over successive droughts and lower-income residents (who may have smaller lawns) are doing their bit when it comes to restricting their water use.
The average residential water user in Malibu (a wealthier area) uses 255 gallons a day, which is three times the national average of 83 gallons a day. But residents in East Los Angeles use an average of 42 gallons a day, and those in Huntington Park (both less well-off regions) are doing well using just 34 gallons a day.
Now, because of this increase in usage, California’s Water Resources Control Board will consider whether or not to reinstate some bans on water use permanently.
Here in the UK, you might well think that drought conditions are a long way off but bear in mind that 2017 was one of the driest years the country has ever seen so it’s possible that we may well be hit with a drought come the summer.
Now’s the time to prepare for this so when June and July do hit, you don’t have to think about curbing your water use… it will already be second nature by then. So what can you do to reduce the amount of water you use? Luckily, there is lots of action you can take, whether you want to prioritise the detection of water leaks or perhaps start harvesting rainwater to recycle each day.
Water recycling may be the right route to go down because there are so many different benefits for your company, from reducing water bills to driving down water consumption. These systems can reduce your reliance upon mains water and you can use the water you collect for WC and urinal usage, landscape watering, fire sprinklers, laundry and more.
If you’d like to find out more about this and how you could benefit, get in touch with us today.