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PACIFIC GROVE, Calif., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire/ — Monterey Peninsula residents will receive notification from California American Water this week of new water rates to be implemented this month. Customers will receive letters demonstrating the impact of new conservation rates approved by the California Public Utilities Commission. The rates are designed to reward those who save water and discourage water waste by charging steep price increases to those who excessively use water.
“We’ve had conservation rates in Monterey since the 1970s,” said General Manager Craig Anthony. “But these new rates, supported by the California Public Utilities Commission, will significantly impact large users. The unique restrictions on our local water supply require us to do everything we can to encourage wise water use.”
Every California American Water customer on the Monterey Peninsula is assigned an individual water allotment. For residential customers, the allotment is based on the number of residents and the size of the customers’ property. For residential customers, notification letters will include a summary of allotment information on file for each customer, presenting an important opportunity for residents to verify their allotment calculation is correct. Falsification of survey information is prohibited by Monterey Peninsula Water Management District rules.
“Our customers in Monterey use less water on average than anywhere else in the state,” said Anthony. “But we have a minority of customers that can do more to save water. The new rates will send a strong signal to these customers that water conservation is critical on the Monterey Peninsula.”
While the average customer – that consumes 70 gallons per day, as compared to a statewide average of nearly 200 ? will see little to no change in their bills, large users could experience a doubling, or even tripling of water bills.
The company offers many resources, in partnership with the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, to help residents and businesses save water. Rebates are available for installation of water-saving appliances, such as high-efficiency toilets, dishwashers and washing machines. Commercial customers are also eligible for rebates on appliances, including waterless urinals, commercial washing machines and on-demand water heaters.
In addition, customers may schedule free Water Wise House Calls, in which a certified conservation expert will visit a residence, check for leaks, provide instruction on how to read a water meter and create a personalized watering schedule for customers’ landscaping. Similar water audits are available for commercial customers. To schedule a house call, contact the California American Water conservation office at (831) 646-3205. More information is available at www.montereywaterinfo.org.
California American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), provides high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to more than 600,000 people. Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest investor-owned U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to approximately 15 million people in 32 California and Ontario, Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.
SOURCE California American Water
Our climate in California is a true Mediterranean climate. What this means is that we have a single rainy season and after that no rain at all. This affects us more strongly in Monterey area, because, as far as water is concerned, we are an island. We’re not connected to the Sierra snow runoff, or the big reservoirs that catch it, were not even connected to the Santa Cruz Mountains or the Salinas Valley. All we have is our own little Carmel River watershed and the Seaside aquifer and that’s pretty much it. This is an extraordinary situation, and it calls for extraordinary measures. We are already the most conservative water users in the state, yet with our river is literally dying, we need to do more.
This summer is going to be crunch time. The State Water Resources Control Board told us to stop diverting so much water from a Carmel River years ago. Now, they’re tired of waiting, and are starting to crack down. The legal wrangling will stall the inevitable for a short while, but not for long. Starting this summer we could easily be looking at water rationing. This would mean 50 gallons, per person, per day, or less. Along with a complete ban on all outdoor water use. Even if you were to ignore the ban, the cost of irrigating your property would be phenomenal. Not only does Cal am needs to raise huge amounts of money to pay for a very expensive desalination plant, but they also have to spend a huge amount of money to remove the San Clemente dam. The way they pay for all this is by charging you more and more, for less and less water. Fortunately there are a few things you can do. These are greywater and rainwater catchment systems. Here’s a few things you should know about both.
Rainwater catchment goes back forever. Today it means catching and storing the rainwater as it comes off the roof. Most of this process is very straightforward and easily understood, but there are some points I’d like to stress. The first one is storage. Since we only have one season to catch the water, we have to do it all at once. This means storage, storage, and more storage, at least 2500 gallons to last the season. Rain barrels sound like a nice idea, but the truth is, they are of little use, if they are empty by July. Another thing to be very aware of, is weight. Barrels and tanks are pretty manageable when empty but when full, even a 55 gallon rain barrel weighs over 500 pounds and a 2500 gallon tank weighs over 10 tons. This means they need to be installed in a very stable place. No surprises.
Greywater is the waste water from the house, that comes from the laundry, showers, and vanities. Kitchen and toilet waste is considered blackwater and needs to go into the sewer or a septic system. The average person creates about 25 gallons of this greywater every day. Greywater is just a little bit more complicated, and must be installed correctly. One truism that I love about it, is that “the most complicated thing about a greywater system is keeping it simple”. Greywater shouldn’t be stored, filtered, or pumped. The pumps fail, the filters clog, and if stored for more than 24 hours greywater turns to blackwater, and you just don’t want to go there.
There are two basic types of greywater systems that work well on a residential level. The first is the laundry the landscape system which uses the clothes washers discharge pump to distributor its water out into the landscape. This is very easy to plumb, inexpensive, and more versatile due to the pump pressure of the washer. The second is the branch drain system. This system takes the waste water from the bathroom [except for the toilet] and sends it to the landscape through a very precisely designed gravity drain. Tapping into this source involves cutting into the houses drainage plumbing. This one part of the installation, should be done by a licensed plumber. The tricky part of a branched drain system is the gravity feed to the landscape. There has to be a gradual slope from the source in the house all the way to the landscape. This slope has to be preserved throughout the whole run, with no exceptions. In the yard, both of these greywater systems, split off to different mulch beds. The mulch beds are a bit magical. The natural bacteria purify the greywater, turn it into plant food, then distribute it to your plants.
In order to preserve their quality of life, the Monterey homeowner needs to make some changes. A big tank in the yard, maybe some changes in the landscaping, different soaps, nothing to drastic, just doing whatever it takes to become more self-sufficient. So there’s you survival plan. A household of three should produce 75 gallons of greywater a day. That and 25 gallons a day from your rain catchment storage tank, and you’ve made it through the season. Plant a fruit tree and think about growing your own dessert.
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