City of Bishop Public Works News Release
State Water Conservation Mandates Apply to Bishop
It has been clarified that the state-mandated 20% reduction in water use
applies to the City of Bishop and its water customers. This is a change from
the city’s earlier understanding about the state mandate. The mandate
applies to Bishop despite our small size and unique water situation. Water
conservation requirements start in September.
The state requires that City of Bishop water users reduce water use by
20% from use in 2013. Under the emergency regulation issued by the State
Water Resources Control Board, the city could be fined up to $10,000 per
day if it does not comply with the mandate. The emergency regulation also
allows the city to impose fines up to $500 per day for customers that don’t
comply with water conservation requirements, although it is hoped the city
would not need to impose the fines. In any event, it is important Bishop
water customers reduce their water use. The mandate is put in place for 9
months but could be extended if the drought continues.
The state largely dictates how the city must achieve the 20% reduction in
water use. To comply with the mandate, the City of Bishop plans to adopt
the following potable water conservation measures starting in September
2014:
No outdoor irrigation except between 5 pm and 9 am ublic Works News Release 12 August 2014 Page 2 of 2
No irrigation of outdoor landscaping so that water runs off property.
No washing vehicles unless hose is fitted with a shut-off nozzle.
No washing driveways, sidewalks, and parking areas.
No decorative water features unless there is recirculation.
No water waste caused by easily correctable leaks, breaks or
malfunctions.
No use of water for construction purposes unless approved by the
city.
No hydrant flushing except when required for public health and
safety.
These measures are very similar to the measures adopted by Inyo County
for its town water systems and are expected to be enacted at the City
Council meeting 25 August. The city appreciates the understanding and
support of its water customers in meeting the state water conservation
requirements.
Saving water saves money, reduces water rates, protects groundwater, is
the right thing to do, and is now required by the state. Contact the City of
Bishop Department of Public Works at 873-8458 for more information on
water conservation and the City’s water system.
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Where is the water measured that goes to the city of Bishop? What about those properties on ditches how is that water measured? How is the water that goes into the district’s water system measured? Without all the previous measurements how are you going to know if there has been a 20% reduction? Both the City of Bishop and Inyo County have some issues if water before and after September 1st are not measured. l
Please tell me DWP isn’t in charge of policing themselves? I hear they do in L.A. !
Stop pumping our ground water and we might actually care what you say!
What is obscene is the near total lack of real conservation by agricultural users. Right now, there are likely hundreds, if not thousands, of leaky agricultural irrigation systems and unlined agricultural irrigation canals/ditches – each wasting more water in a day than an average residential connection uses in months. Way to go, SWRCB, way to go…
I have a lot of heartburn with the way the Legislature is dealing with this drought. Number one, unless all new home, condo and apartment construction is halted, how can you demand existing users cut their use further? Second, for cities like San Jose or Los Angeles that have made huge reduction in per capita water use over the past two decades, how do you really expect them to reduce water use further? There are counties in this state using three times as much water per day per person as LA, but LA residents will be forced to cut water use as much as residents in regions profligate in their water use. I would prefer to see a standard based on per person per day water use applied across the entire state so that cities that have already made all the right decisions to curtain water use are not further punished.
Last, when is the legislature going to demand similar measures from agriculture? 80% of the developed fresh water in this state goes to grow crops often in the desert, places such as the Imperial and Coachella Valleys. A 10% reduction in agricultural water use frees up water equivalent to a 40% increase in urban water use. Why should urban users be bent over to conserve while farmers water crops with open ditch ( and dirt lined ditches at that ! ) irrigation, sprinklers or flooding of orchards? When is the farmer going to be forced to adopt drip irrigation and similar water saving methods? Urban users use only 20% of the developed fresh water but whenever there is a shortage it is always the urban users expected to make the sacrifices. A smaller percentage cut in agricultural water use yields a much larger total water savings for the state. Yet it’s always the urban user that becomes the boogeyman during a water crisis. Ridiculous!
Urban users do not have a strong lobby. Agricultural users do. Guess who wins?
There are vastly more legislators representing urban water users than represent farm interests. Potentially they could wield enormous influence but their constituents would have to agitate in that direction. So far urban water users seem content to accept their boogeyman status, roll over and take all the hits. To an extent, also, everyone is deathly afraid of being labeled “anti-business” or “anti-agriculture”, and you know they will be regardless of the logic of the argument.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Lake Mead is one of the main reservoirs in the vast Colorado River water system, and its receding shoreline is raising concerns about the future of a network serving the perennially parched Southwest.
Marina operators, water managers and farmers are closely tracking the reservoir’s water level, which is already at its lowest point since Hoover Dam was completed and the lake was first filled in the 1930s.
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_26321678/lake-mead-water-level-figures-and-impacts