Water Conservation Policies for Drought Protection
Summary
Due to severe droughts, water shortages, and the high cost of imported water, Los Angeles County Water District enacted an innovative policy on water conservation (Executive Directive No. 5) in 2014, which successfully reduced total potable water usage per capita by 20% by the year 2017.
The 2013-2014 rainy season in Los Angeles was its seventh driest since 1877. This historic drought began in 2011 and continued throughout California until 2017 (NIDIS, n.d.). In 2014, as the drought reached exceptional levels (when areas have widespread crop/pasture losses and are experiencing water emergencies), prioritization of water conservation became paramount (NIDIS, n.d.). Not only were local supplies dwindling, but transported water from the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) - which sources water from the Colorado River - became increasingly expensive. This price increase was compounded by potential water restrictions in the coming year. Due to Los Angeles's climate and current water supply, short-term response measures were no longer acceptable; climate change was already (and will continue) exacerbating the effects of drought and water exploitation. This drought, in particular, encouraged Los Angeles to assess its overall water usage, and the city identified that 50% of the city's water usage was for outdoor use (Mini et al., 2014). City officials used this information to develop targeted strategies to reduce water consumption during this time of crisis.
Intervention
Led by Mayor Garcetti, the city government, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), and the Los Angeles County Water District (LACWD) joined to create an emergency drought response: Creating a WaterWise City (2014), also known as Executive Directive No. 5 (Garcetti, 2014). This action was necessary because of the high cost of continued reliance on transported water, in addition to the MWD potentially limiting the water supply for Los Angeles. Long-term risk factors also contributed to this transition, namely, the risk of an earthquake severely damaging the city's aqueduct infrastructure, which could inadvertently cut off its water supply.
Executive Directive No. 5: Emergency Drought Response ('Creating a Water Wise City') is a Los Angeles city policy that pinpointed areas of immediate water conservation that would lay the framework for achieving long-term water sustainability, especially in light of the uncertainties of climate change. Enacted on October 14, 2014, immediate actions listed for government departments and residents included limiting outdoor water usage to two days a week, increasing rebates for residential turf removal and rain barrels, reducing potable water usage by the Department of Recreation and Parks, restricting irrigation, and multiple voluntary actions by individual residents (Executive Directive No. 5, 2014). Additionally, governmental departments (Department of Recreation and Parks, General Services Department, Department of Public Works) were given 90 days to develop long-term plans that addressed their overall water usage. For example, one ordinance for the Department of Recreation and Parks included mandating all golf courses to convert 85% of their water supply to a recycled water source. Additionally, the Bureau of Street Services had 90 days to develop a plan to convert high-water-use street medians to low- or no-water-use landscaping. If the above mandatory and voluntary actions did not reduce overall water consumption by 10% by July 1, 2015, 15% by January 1, 2016, and 20% by January 1, 2017, further restrictions were to be implemented (Executive Directive No. 5, 2014).
To encourage residents' policy adherence, Mayor Garcetti collaborated with LADWP, L.A. County Water, and MWD to enact the Save The Drop campaign. This campaign educated residents and informed them of opportunities to conserve water and receive potential rebates for removing water-intensive lawns and removing inefficient water fixtures. One such rebate incentivized citizens to remove lawns and plant native drought-resistant plants by paying them approximately $40 per sq meter ( $32 per sq meter in 2020) (Garcetti, 2015).
Challenges
Although the city experienced multiple beneficial outcomes from these conservation measures, the act of conserving can sometimes be detrimental to water infrastructure. In other California cities such as Sacramento and San Francisco, the low movement of water through the piping system resulted in increased maintenance due to intermittent supply (Schwabe et al., 2020). However, due to L.A.'s significant population size, it did not experience the same negative effects. Other California cities have since developed similar plans and regulations to alter their overall water usage and be better prepared for future climate scenarios.
Outcomes
This measure's overall immediate outcome was a 20% reduction in the average water usage in Los Angeles (from 495 liters to 394 liters per person/day), achieving the city's ultimate goal. By encouraging and incentivizing citizens to plant native and drought-resistant plants, over million sq meters of turf was removed by 2016, increasing overall native plant coverage and saving over 6 billion liters of water each year (equivalent to 15,000 households' yearly water use) (Foulsham, 2016; Garcetti, 2015). In 2016, as the drought was nearing its end, the city did not loosen regulations. Instead, the city used the momentum and increased regulations by passing the most stringent water efficiency ordinance of any major U.S. city by requiring all new buildings and redevelopments to reduce indoor water usage by 20%. This executive order set the path for policy successes, leading to better water management in Los Angeles. Future developments include the L.A. City pLAn: Los Angeles's sustainability plan and the preface for the city's Green New Deal (pLAn, n.d.).
References
Water Conservation Policies for Drought Protection
Summary
Due to severe droughts, water shortages, and the high cost of imported water, Los Angeles County Water District enacted an innovative policy on water conservation (Executive Directive No. 5) in 2014, which successfully reduced total potable water usage per capita by 20% by the year 2017.
The 2013-2014 rainy season in Los Angeles was its seventh driest since 1877. This historic drought began in 2011 and continued throughout California until 2017 (NIDIS, n.d.). In 2014, as the drought reached exceptional levels (when areas have widespread crop/pasture losses and are experiencing water emergencies), prioritization of water conservation became paramount (NIDIS, n.d.). Not only were local supplies dwindling, but transported water from the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) - which sources water from the Colorado River - became increasingly expensive. This price increase was compounded by potential water restrictions in the coming year. Due to Los Angeles's climate and current water supply, short-term response measures were no longer acceptable; climate change was already (and will continue) exacerbating the effects of drought and water exploitation. This drought, in particular, encouraged Los Angeles to assess its overall water usage, and the city identified that 50% of the city's water usage was for outdoor use (Mini et al., 2014). City officials used this information to develop targeted strategies to reduce water consumption during this time of crisis.
Issue
Intervention
Led by Mayor Garcetti, the city government, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), and the Los Angeles County Water District (LACWD) joined to create an emergency drought response: Creating a WaterWise City (2014), also known as Executive Directive No. 5 (Garcetti, 2014). This action was necessary because of the high cost of continued reliance on transported water, in addition to the MWD potentially limiting the water supply for Los Angeles. Long-term risk factors also contributed to this transition, namely, the risk of an earthquake severely damaging the city's aqueduct infrastructure, which could inadvertently cut off its water supply.
Executive Directive No. 5: Emergency Drought Response ('Creating a Water Wise City') is a Los Angeles city policy that pinpointed areas of immediate water conservation that would lay the framework for achieving long-term water sustainability, especially in light of the uncertainties of climate change. Enacted on October 14, 2014, immediate actions listed for government departments and residents included limiting outdoor water usage to two days a week, increasing rebates for residential turf removal and rain barrels, reducing potable water usage by the Department of Recreation and Parks, restricting irrigation, and multiple voluntary actions by individual residents (Executive Directive No. 5, 2014). Additionally, governmental departments (Department of Recreation and Parks, General Services Department, Department of Public Works) were given 90 days to develop long-term plans that addressed their overall water usage. For example, one ordinance for the Department of Recreation and Parks included mandating all golf courses to convert 85% of their water supply to a recycled water source. Additionally, the Bureau of Street Services had 90 days to develop a plan to convert high-water-use street medians to low- or no-water-use landscaping. If the above mandatory and voluntary actions did not reduce overall water consumption by 10% by July 1, 2015, 15% by January 1, 2016, and 20% by January 1, 2017, further restrictions were to be implemented (Executive Directive No. 5, 2014).
To encourage residents' policy adherence, Mayor Garcetti collaborated with LADWP, L.A. County Water, and MWD to enact the Save The Drop campaign. This campaign educated residents and informed them of opportunities to conserve water and receive potential rebates for removing water-intensive lawns and removing inefficient water fixtures. One such rebate incentivized citizens to remove lawns and plant native drought-resistant plants by paying them approximately $40 per sq meter ( $32 per sq meter in 2020) (Garcetti, 2015).
Challenges
Although the city experienced multiple beneficial outcomes from these conservation measures, the act of conserving can sometimes be detrimental to water infrastructure. In other California cities such as Sacramento and San Francisco, the low movement of water through the piping system resulted in increased maintenance due to intermittent supply (Schwabe et al., 2020). However, due to L.A.'s significant population size, it did not experience the same negative effects. Other California cities have since developed similar plans and regulations to alter their overall water usage and be better prepared for future climate scenarios.
Outcomes
This measure's overall immediate outcome was a 20% reduction in the average water usage in Los Angeles (from 495 liters to 394 liters per person/day), achieving the city's ultimate goal. By encouraging and incentivizing citizens to plant native and drought-resistant plants, over million sq meters of turf was removed by 2016, increasing overall native plant coverage and saving over 6 billion liters of water each year (equivalent to 15,000 households' yearly water use) (Foulsham, 2016; Garcetti, 2015). In 2016, as the drought was nearing its end, the city did not loosen regulations. Instead, the city used the momentum and increased regulations by passing the most stringent water efficiency ordinance of any major U.S. city by requiring all new buildings and redevelopments to reduce indoor water usage by 20%. This executive order set the path for policy successes, leading to better water management in Los Angeles. Future developments include the L.A. City pLAn: Los Angeles's sustainability plan and the preface for the city's Green New Deal (pLAn, n.d.).
Issues |
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Water Scarcity and Access |
Solutions |
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Sustainable Water Supply & Climate Solutions |
References
Foulsham, G. (2016, October 19). Angelenos On Track to Meet 2017 Water Conservation Goals. UCLA Luskin. https://luskin.ucla.edu/angelenos-track-meet-2017-water-conservation-goals
Executive Directive No. 5, Pub. L. No. 5 (2014). https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/mayorofla/pages/17070/attachments/original/1426620015/ED_5_-_Emergency_Drought__Response_-_Creating_a_Water_Wise_City.pdf?1426620015
Garcetti, E. (2015, September 30). Mayor Garcetti Announces That L.A. Residents Continue To Meet Water Conservation Goals [Text]. Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti; Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. https://www.lamayor.org/mayor-garcetti-announces-la-residents-continue-meet-water-conservation-goals
Mini, C., Hogue, T. S., & Pincetl, S. (2014). Estimation of residential outdoor water use in Los Angeles, California. https://pubag.nal.usda.gov/catalog/5413345
NIDIS. (n.d.). California is no stranger to dry conditions, but the drought from 2011-2017 was exceptional | Drought.gov. Retrieved August 18, 2020, from https://www.drought.gov/drought/california-no-stranger-dry-conditions-drought-2011-2017-was-exceptional
pLAn. (n.d.). PLAn LA’s Green New Deal. Retrieved August 6, 2020, from https://plan.lamayor.org/node
Schwabe, K., Nemati, M., Amin, R., Tran, Q., & Jassby, D. (2020). Unintended consequences of water conservation on the use of treated municipal wastewater. Nature Sustainability, 3(8), 628–635. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-0529-2