As key California reservoir nears 37-year low, new billboards urge water conservation
Water level at Lake Oroville, the second-largest reservoir in the state water delivery system, is at 26 percent capacity and is approaching its historic low set in 1977, state water contractors announced Tuesday.
Even after recent rains, levels at the Sierra Nevada reservoir have not changed significantly, leading the Southern California Water Committee on Monday to launch a stepped-up water conservation campaign to reduce urban water use during the drought.
The Committee is touting a lawn-removal effort that often includes rebates from local water agencies and cities using 16 new digital billboards placed on Southern California freeways and roadways.
A cartoon character, Lawn Dude, tries to convince homeowners to swap out green lawns for drought-tolerant landscaping. The Teletubby-like figure is pictured with a green lawn on its head on one billboard, saying “Take it off; take it all off.” On the next, Lawn Dude sports a cactus hairdo and raves: “My succulent new style.” The campaign’s tagline is: “It’s a drought. Plant smart.”
“The most significant way to reduce water use in Southern California is reduce outdoor water usage,” said Rich Atwater, the Committee’s executive director on Tuesday.
With 95 percent of California in a severe drought that is now entering a fourth year, every retail and wholesale water agency, city and state environmental agency — including Gov. Jerry Brown and the State Water Resources Control Board — have asked Californians to cut back 20 percent.
However, recent water conservation figures released by the State Water Board show residents have fallen short of the goal and may be going backward.
Californians used 10.3 percent less water in September over last year. In August, the SWB reported an 11.6 percent drop in water use.
“Are Southern Californians conserving water? Yes they are. We want to encourage them to do more,” said Atwater, a member of the Foothill Municipal Water District, which serves 86,000 customers in a 22-square-mile area between Pasadena and Glendale. “If this winter stays dry, it will be more of a serious crisis next year.”
The 27 public agencies that buy water from the State Water Project are worried that unless new storms replenish parched rivers and refill drained reservoirs this winter, California could run out of stored supplies by next year at this time.
So far, forecasters predict only light rains in the coming weeks, not enough to refill Oroville, nor the next largest, Lake Shasta, to normal capacity levels for November and December.
“The drought has been unforgiving and near record lows at Oroville show just how grim the situation is,” said Terry Erlewine, general manager of the State Water Contractors in a prepared statement. “Stored water sustains California through dry years, but that water only lasts so long. We need storms this winter to refill our reservoirs.”
Oroville was recorded at 31 percent capacity in September, according to data obtained by this newspaper.
Lake Oroville is fed by the Feather River, which receives runoff from the Northern Sierra Nevada, an area at zero percent snowpack in June due to lack of storms. Oroville and Shasta are the two largest reservoirs in the state. Water is pumped from these two down to Central and Southern California via the State Water Project.
During most of this year, supplies of water from the SWP have been kept at 5 percent.
Water contractors want to see the state capture more rainwater. They claim too much water is required to flow through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and out to San Francisco Bay as per environmental regulations.
http://www.presstelegram.com/general...r-conservation
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