>> >>PEGGY: THE REPORT DETAILS SAN DIEGO COUNTY RESIDENTIAL WATER USE RIGHT DOWN TO HOW MANY
TIME AS TOILET IS FLUSHED AND HOW MANY GALLONS OF WATER YOUR WASHING MACHINE NEEDS FOR A
LOAD OF LAUNDRY.
MY GUEST ANNE TARTRE WITH THE EQUINOX CENTER IS HERE WITH A FEW IDEAS ON EFFICIENT WATER
USE IN OUR HOMES.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
GIVE US THE BIG PICTURE AS TO WHY THIS REPORT CALLED WATER HAD USE THE MOST CRITICAL RESOURCE
CHALLENGE FOR SAN DIEGO.
>> >>ANN TARTRE: SAN DIEGO IMPORTS ABOUT 70% OF ALL THE WATER WE USE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY.
AND SO AS OUR ECONOMY GROWS AND OUR POPULATION GROWS, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WE'RE GOING
TO NEED TO DEAL WITH.
WE NEED WATER TO RUN OUR BUSINESSES, PHARMACEUTICAL, BIOTECH, HUMAN HEALTH, SANITATION, IT'S IMPORTANT
FOR ALL ASPECTS.
>> >>PEGGY: LET'S BREAK DOWN THE DATA.
IT WAS VERY SPECIFIC.
WHAT DID YOU FIND INSIDE THE HOME?
>> >>ANN TARTRE: WELL, WE HAD ACCESS TO DATA THAT REALLY MONITORED INDOOR USE FOR SAMPLES
OF HOMES IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY.
THE BIGGEST USER OF WATER INSIDE OUR HOMES IS A TOILET FLUSHING, NOT A VERY GLAMOROUS
TOPIC, AND AFTER THAT WE SEE CLOTHES WASHERS, SHOWERS, AND FAUCET USE BEING THE NEXT.
>> >>PEGGY: NOT A WHOLE LOT WITH LEAKS OR DISH WASHER.
THAT SEEM SAID PRETTY EFFICIENT.
THIS DATA WAS THIS SPECIFIC BECAUSE THERE'S IDEAS YOU HAVE CERTAINLY FOR HOW TO LOWER
OR CONSERVE WATER OR YEU USE IT MORE EFFICIENTLY INSIDE THE HOME.
>> >>ANN TARTRE: ONE OF THE SURPRISING FINDINGS TO ME WAS THAT ONLY ABOUT 3 TO 4% OF OUR POPULATION
HAVE SOME N STALLED THE MOST EFFICIENT CLOTHES WASHER OR TOILET FLUSHING TECHNOLOGIES.
SO IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S STILL MORE ROOM TO CONSERVE AND BE MORE EFFICIENT IN OUR HOME.
>> >>PEGGY: THE STUDY ALSO SAYS IT ESTIMATES ABOUT UP TO 30% OF OUT DOOR WATER USE COULD
BE ALTERED, OR IMPROVED.
TELL ME ABOUT THAT.
>> >>ANN TARTRE: RIGHT, SO, ONE OF THE MAJOR FINDINGS IS THAT ON AVERAGE THE SINGLE FAMILY
HOMES ARE USING ABOUT 50 GALLONS MORE WATER EVERY DAY THAN THEY NEED TO TO WATER THEIR
LANDSCAPES.
SO IF YOU ADD THAT UP, OVER TIME, IF A HOME STOPPED OVER WATERING THEIR LANDSCAPE, THEY
WOULD SAVE ABOUT 17,000 GALLONS OF WATER PER YEAR.
IT'S PRETTY SIGNIFICANT.
>> >>PEGGY: ABSOLUTELY IT IS.
THE LOW WATER LANDSCAPING, WE KNOW THAT'S A SOLUTION.
YOU TAKE OUT, PUT IN LOW WATER NEED PLANT, PUT IN DRIP IRRIGATION, BUT THAT COSTS MONEY.
SO WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO IF THEY WANT TO TRY TO BE MORE EFFICIENT WITH THEIR WATER BUT
DON'T HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF MONEY TO SPEND ON IT?
>> >>ANN TARTRE: GOOD QUESTION.
FIRST OF ALL, REDUCING OVER WATERING IS IMPORTANT, KNOWING WHAT YOUR LANDSCAPE SHOULD TAKE AND
NOT WATERING AS MUCH.
ALSO THINGS LIKE WATERING AT NIGHT OR EARLY IN THE MORNING WHETHER THERE'S LESS EVAPORATION
SO THE WATER YOU ARE PUTTING ON YOUR PLANTS IS GOING INTO THE GROUND INSTEAD OF EVAPORATING
INTO THE AIR IS ANOTHER THING PEOPLE CAN DO, WATER A LITTLE LESS FREQUENTLY.
USUALLY MOST PLANTS CAN TAKE THAT.
>> >>PEGGY: AND I UNDERSTAND ONE WAY TO DO IS SUCCULENTS ARE VERY POPULAR.
YOU COULD DO IT GRADUALLY.
>> >>ANN TARTRE: ABSOLUTELY.
>> >>PEGGY: THERE'S A CATCH 22 WHEN IT COMES TO WATER PRICING AND CONSERVATION.
WATER AGENCIES SAY THEY LOSE MONEY WHEN THEY BASICALLY WHEN THE USE GOES DOWN BECAUSE PEOPLE
AREN'T PAYING HIGH BILLS SO THEY RAISE THEIR PRICES AND THE CONSUMER AT HOME HAS DONE WHAT
THEY'RE SUPPOSE SAID TO DO BUT STILL GETS A HIGH WATER BILL.
WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THAT?
>> >>ANN TARTRE: THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OF A CONUNDRUM ABOUT HOW WE PRICE OUR WATER AND
HOW WATER UTILITIES WORK, BUT WE'VE LOOKED AT SOME RESEARCH THAT SHOWS IF WATER UTILITIES
CHANGE THEIR PRICING STRUCTURE SO THAT THEY'RE REALLY INCENTIVE IEDZING PEOPLE TO KUNÊ INCENTIVIZING
PEOPLE TO CONSERVE, THAT COULD PROVIDE A MORE STABLE REVENUE STREAM FOR THE WATER UTILITY
DURING TIMES OF DROUGHT SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO PUT THEIR PRICES UP SO DRAMATICALLY WHEN
PEOPLE START CONSERVING.
>> >>PEGGY: WOULD A TIERED WATER RATE STRUCTURE WORK BETTER WHERE THE PEOPLE WHO USE THE MOST
HAVE TO PAY THE MOST?
>> >>ANN TARTRE: THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
THAT SIGNIFICANTLY TIERED WATER STRUCTURE IS SHOWN TO WORK IN AREA TO EVEN OUT THAT
SITUATION.
>> >>PEGGY: A LITTLE BIT MORE DRAMATIC THAN WHAT WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW.
I'VE OFTEN HEARD, WHY SHOULD WE CONSERVE WATER ESPECIALLY WE'VE GOT THE PACIFIC OCEAN AT
OUR DOOR STEP.
>> >>ANN TARTRE: WE'VE DONE A REPORT ON DESALINATION, IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS AN OPTION FOR THE REGION,
BUT THE THING IS WE NEED TO GET A HANDLE ON HOW MUCH WATER OVERALL WE'RE GOING TO NEED
IN THE COMING DECADES AND SO THAT WE CAN SEE HOW LOW WE CAN GO, LET'S SAY.
AND THEN ONCE WE KNOW HOW EFFICIENT WE CAN BE, I THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO FIGURE OUT HOW
MUCH ARE WE GOING TO SPEND ON THESE OTHER SEA WATER DESALINATION.
>> >>PEGGY: THANK YOU FOR TALKING TO US.
YOU CAN FIND OUT ABOUT WHAT THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO IS DOING TO CONSERVE WATER BY GOING
TO OUR WEBSITE KPBS.ORG.