Kevin Knauss: Health, History, Travel, Insurance
Posts related to California's drought, 2012 - 2015, Folsom Lake, water conservation, history, San Juan Water District.
With Folsom reservoir dropping to historically low levels in the autumn of 2013 and record low rain fall, there was no question that Northern California was in the grip of a drought. The question posed by San Juan Water District Board member Bob Walters to the assembled drought water committee at their second meeting was, […]
San Juan Water District convened their inaugural meeting of the 2014 Drought Committee at their district headquarters this past June 2nd. The committee is comprised of representatives from neighboring municipal districts, professionals from the pool, golf course and nursery industries, along with community residents served by the San Juan Water District. The focus of the […]
How much is water worth? For Starbucks, they are able to take $0.66 worth of Folsom Lake water and convert it into $11,668.80 dollars. The San Juan Water District, who treats and delivers drought depleted Folsom Lake water to residential and commercial customers, is asking homeowners to use less water and pay more for it while company’s like Starbucks generate handsome revenues from residential conservation. The current and proposed Stage 3 Water Warning rate structure continues to have residential customers pay more per unit than Starbucks and other commercial uses who use the water to create revenue and profits.
San Juan Water District dedicated their February Board meeting to reviewing the impending water shortage created by a drought shrunken Folsom Lake and the necessity for increasing retail water rates in their Granite Bay service area. While there was discussion on potential mandatory outdoor water restrictions, non-residential customers such as the exclusive Granite Bay Golf Club seem to escape any meaningful rate increase in the proposals.
With the impending drought in California we are long over due for a residential water rate restructuring. No longer can we continue to price water based on water district’s budgets to meet their financial goals. We need a reality based seasonally adjusted water rate structure model that should be based on a consumer’s lot size, home type and the specific climate of the region. Such a rate structure would give homeowners and irrigation managers a benchmark on how much water they should be using and real incentives to conserve.
While Congress may have created a unique San Joaquin drought or dust bowl, they were also the governmental institution that used tax payer money to turn the San Joaquin valley into America’s salad bowl.
