Cagwin & Dorward Landscape Contractors

March 22, 2012

Californians are going to have to reduce their urban water consumption by 20% by 2020. By 2015, we will need to reduce our water use by 10%. In November 2009 Senate Bill X7 7 was signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Currently, California’s water resources are being strained to the limits. A trend exists showing that our annual snow pack is shrinking year by year as our rainfall is dwindling. Leverage this against our population growth.

People use water. In 1970 there were 19.9 million residents and in 2011 there were 37.7 million residents… the population has nearly doubled in 41 years while the water resources are dwindling.

Distribution is a problem too when 75% of the population is in Southern California and 75% of the water is in Northern California.

We live in a watery world, with the average American lifestyle fueled by nearly 2,000 gallons of H2O a day. How can this be?

What may come as a surprise is that only five percent of the water we use runs through toilets, taps, and garden hoses at home. Nearly 95 percent of water consumption is your water footprint. Water consumption is hidden in the food you eat, the energy you use, the products you buy, and the services you rely on. .

What is a water footprint? The water footprint is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business

Examples of water footprint:

It takes 1,851 gallons of water to refine a barrel of crude oil which is 42 U.S. gallons. One barrel of crude oil produces 19 gallons of gasoline and 10 gallons of diesel fuel; it takes 97 gallons of water to produce a gallon of gasoline.
9,000 gallons of water are used to produce the average domestic auto, including tires.
1,800 gallons of water are needed to produce the cotton in a pair of jeans and 400 gallons to produce the cotton in a shirt.
Nearly 1,400 gallons of water are used to produce a meal of a quarter-pound hamburger, an order of fries and a soft drink.

The 20x2020 deadline is rapidly approaching. One way to look at a 20% reductions is to think that it is the equivalent to 2 ½ months of water. Each month is 8.3% of a year. This is a significant reduction. In 2015 the state is looking for a 10% reduction of water consumption by urban users.

The 20x2020 committee is discussing changing the reduction from 20% to 30%. We need to know that water conservation is a significant issue.

News - Water Worries 20% by 2020