Water rationing and how the liberals of California government ignored reality for decades.

Daily water allocation could be the next California drought strategy

You probably know your Social Security number, your driver’s license number and perhaps the latest wrinkle in mattress marketing, your sleep number.

But do you know your drought number?

The latter represents the amount of water you are allowed to use per day. If you don’t know it, you probably should. Not knowing could cost you money. As California’s severe drought moves into a fourth year, state and local water agencies are working on something called “allocation-based rate structures,” a kind of precursor to water rationing that’s all the rage in Sacramento and in some areas such as Santa Cruz, Irvine and Santa Monica.

Here’s how it works: Your local water company, special district or city assigns you and your household a number in gallons — a daily water allocation. Usually, one number applies to maximum indoor water use, i.e. showers, kitchen and bathroom faucets, dishwashers, clothes washers, etc., and an extra allocation is assigned for outdoor use such as lawn irrigation.

Using census records, aerial photography and satellite imagery, an agency can determine a property’s efficient water usage.

At the Irvine Ranch Water District, number of residents, amount of landscaping and even medical needs are factored into a household’s water allocation or water budget.

“We want you to stay within that budget. That way we know you are using water in an efficient way,” according to an instructional video on the Orange County water agency’s website.

While some call it a more equal way to meter out mandatory water conservation, others call it social engineering. Some say the idea simply will not work.

In July, the State Water Resources Control Board passed stage one emergency regulations, giving powers to all local water agencies to fine $500 per violation. 

“We were concerned with the lack of alarm we were hearing,” said Felicia Marcus, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board. “Our reservoirs are low. Half of the state’s storage is gone. It’s a frightening situation.”

Demand for water has risen over the decades because:

The population has risen to over 38 million from 10 million in 1950. One third born outside the US. I wonder how many undocumented and uncounted immigrants there are.

Many California businesses are water intensive: farming, wineries, entertainment parks, golf, etc. California claims to be the fifth largest economy. 

Sport fishing and environmental considerations have limited how water is used. The famous Delta smelt.

Over the decades the government has squandered billions on every lame brained idea like the high speed rail line between SF and LA but pennies on water storage or increasing supplies. Because of the hatred for energy production it is not possible to produce desalted sea water. Dams are verboten and the loony left enviro-nutters want to decommission parts of the Hectch  Hectchy reservoir which proves much of the water for San Francisco in order to return the area to the natural pristine beauty of a world without people. California is controlled by a small group of people each with their own overriding boutique environmnetal cause.