Water saving: Don’t stop now

We are reminding customers that the drought hasn’t ended in California and saving water remains a good practice

We are thankful that our Santa Clarita Valley water retailers have officially lifted the yard-watering schedule they said was unnecessary two years ago when the state demanded they impose it anyway.

And we’re grateful that Gov. Jerry Brown gave up the role of Great Water Arbiter for the State of California and conceded that local wisdom on issues of water management trump a one-sizefits-all approach – especially on the heels of a rainy season that saw lots of precipitation in the far northern areas while the south remains gripped by a now-five-yearold drought.

We suspect Brown’s heavyhanded mandate for a 25 percent across-the-board water use cutback was meant as a reality check on those districts and agencies around the state that have been less wise about water management than our own Santa Clarita Valley districts have been.

But if the governor’s goal was to effect an overall shift in attitudes about water use that would cement water-conserving behaviors, we believe he has succeeded – at least if Santa Clarita Valley water customers are any indication.

Consumers in the three major Santa Clarita Valley water districts met or exceeded their cutback mandates during the past two years. And while water district officials this month said the mandates are off, they also urged residents to continue their frugal water-use ways.

Newhall County Water District General Manager Steve Cole praised customers for “extraordinary conservation measures” during the past two years, but he warned, “California remains in a historic drought.”

“NCWD’s call for water use efficiency is still loud and clear, and the state remains in a chronic water crisis,” he said.

Valencia Water District’s general manager expressed similar sentiments.

“Although our short-term water supplies remain adequate to meet our customer needs, we should not relax,” said Valencia GM Kenneth J. Petersen.

“Continuing to save means we can protect water supplies stored in the state’s reservoirs should severe water conditions return.”

Santa Clarita Water Division Retail Manager Keith Abercrombie was concerned about the lingering drought.

“Although we have removed mandatory restrictions, we are reminding customers that the drought hasn’t ended in California and saving water remains a good practice,” Abercrombie said.

“We also need to keep saving water in order to meet another state law passed in 2009 that requires us to permanently reduce our overall water demand by 20 percent by 2020,” he said.

So if you’ve gotten into the habit of keeping a bucket in the shower to collect water for your house plants – or if your two-day-a-week yard-watering schedule is keeping the grass green just fine – or if you’ve gone high-tech and are using evapotranspiration data from a website and home automation systems to water your yard with precision, don’t stop now.

Water remains the Golden State’s most precious resource.