Archive for April, 2009
EBMUD To Raise Rates: Time For Graywater Recycling
Posted by: | CommentsApril 14th, 2009
It really shouldn’t come as a surprise that the East Bay Municipal Utility District is planning to raise water rates some 7.5% this year and next. Not judging the decision, the wallet is certainly the place that most people will finally wake up to the ongoing drought we are facing and start practicing good water conservation…even if EBMUD does call off rationing in the late summer. This is a good time to start planning a graywater recyling or rainwater harvesting system in the home. Read the entire article in today’s Contra Costa Times here.
The Double Whammy - Get Less, Pay More $
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April 12, 2009
It’s not news to most people tuned into water conservation, but the double whammy is that we’ll all be asked to use less water while paying more for it. The California Rainwater Harvester that I installed in my home is part of my own water conservation effort to reduce my water bill this summer (my EBMUD water bill last summer skyrocketed!!) I can’t put the extra tanks in fast enough! You can get the manual for that system here.
Here’s an article in the Whittier Daily News about getting less….paying more.
It appears likely that water imported to the Southland is about to get more expensive and less available.
The cumulative effects of the state’s third year of drought and a judge’s effort to avoid ecological collapse in northern rivers are finally taking their toll in a very real way.
The Metropolitan Water District, the agency that distributes imported water throughout Southern California, is expected to approve Tuesday two separate plans that would increase the cost of imported water by 40 percent and cut availability to water agencies by 10 to 15 percent. Click here to read the entire article.
Drought Everywhere: Rainwater Harvesting Even In India
Posted by: | CommentsApril 10th, 2009
The drought is not just something in the U.S. Check out this soul-stirring, award winning video shows the reality of the water crisis in India. Each one of us has a responsibility to help turn this around by adopting simple water-conservation measures. Not surprising, the urban areas of India enjoy the same luxuries as many of us in the west. They water their lawns, wash the car in the driveway and take the kids to the water slides. The concept of rainwater harvesting as well as graywater recycling applies worldwide. We’re all in it together.
Marin, North Bay get $25M in Fed Support
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April 7th, 2009
This is great news for Marin County!
Not only can residents get involved in graywater recycling and rainwater harvesting in their homes individually, the county is now receiving a $25 million federal grant to help green business landscapes, schools, parks and cemeteries without dipping into reservoirs. The North Bay Water Reuse Authority - which includes agencies in San Rafael and Novato - received the money as part of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act signed into law by President Barack Obama last week.
Above, Sandeep Karkal, deputy manager-engineer for the Novato Sanitary District, uses a touch- pad screen to monitor the district’s water recycling plant along Highway 37 in Novato on Tuesday. Local agencies in Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties were approved to receive $25 million in federal money to help fund recycled water projects as part of the North Bay Water Recycling Program. (IJ photo/Robert Tong). Read the entire article online in the Marin IJ here.
After You Harvest The Rainwater - Tips for Water Wise Lanscaping
Posted by: | CommentsApril 8th, 2009
Horticulturist Paul Redeker of the Water Conservation Garden in Rancho San Diego shares tips on how to conserve water when landscaping your yard.
