As California officials craft new regulations for urban water conservation, critics who belittle the importance of these efforts are often deflecting, a water policy advocate argues.
Guest Commentary written by Dr. Mark Gold, the director of water scarcity solutions at the Natural Resources Defense Council, published at Cal Matters. Stay up-to-date with free briefings on topics that matter to all Californians. Subscribe to CalMatters today for nonprofit news in your inbox.
A recent criticism of the State Water Resources Control Board’s proposed regulations for urban water conservation was wildly misplaced. Urban water is valuable because it must be treated to the highest standards, delivered to millions of locations and available daily.
Granted, California and other states have failed to apply contemporary standards to their antiquated water rights systems. But the need to tackle such reforms does not diminish the need for greater urban water efficiency.
Indeed, belittling the value of urban water efficiency is often a deflection from those with no concept, no plan, no consensus and no intention of actually challenging agricultural water use reform.
We must quickly finish the five year, legislatively mandated effort to make conservation a California way of life.
COMMENTARY: It’s easy to criticize California water conservation. It’s a lot harder to offer solutions
As California officials craft new regulations for urban water conservation, critics who belittle the importance of these efforts are often deflecting, a water policy advocate argues.
Guest Commentary written by Dr. Mark Gold, the director of water scarcity solutions at the Natural Resources Defense Council, published at Cal Matters. Stay up-to-date with free briefings on topics that matter to all Californians. Subscribe to CalMatters today for nonprofit news in your inbox.
Re: “California regulators want to spend billions to reduce a fraction of water usage“
The proposed conservation regulations will achieve greater water savings than the city of Los Angeles uses annually.
Granted, California and other states have failed to apply contemporary standards to their antiquated water rights systems. But the need to tackle such reforms does not diminish the need for greater urban water efficiency.
Indeed, belittling the value of urban water efficiency is often a deflection from those with no concept, no plan, no consensus and no intention of actually challenging agricultural water use reform.
We must quickly finish the five year, legislatively mandated effort to make conservation a California way of life.