Builders part of regional water solution
By: Paul Tryon - | ∞
For more than half a century, San Diego County has imported water to meet the needs of its population. Our economic vitality and quality of life continue to be dependent on this foundation of imported water. Yet, our heavy reliance on this imported supply has been compromised by a sustained seven-year drought in the Colorado River Basin and an ever-increasing demand on that same water supply from Arizona and Nevada for their growing needs. San Diegoís dependence became even more vulnerable after a recent court ruling to protect a 3-inch fish in the Sacramento Bay Delta. This judicial decision will shut down important pumps in the Delta used to transport water to 20 million Southern California residents. This six-month shutdown has heightened concerns over water supply and, in some cases, prompted undue adversity toward housing and commercial construction.
Clearly, San Diego needs to establish its water independence to protect the future of its nearly 3 million residents. The San Diego County Water Authority has been working toward this goal for years, seeking to diversify our water supply and decrease the percentage of imported water in the region's total supply mix. There is a well-thought-out plan in place. San Diego is not unprepared, despite conflicting media reports.
When it comes to new home and commercial construction and our water supply, San Diego is ill-served by an either-or debate. The facts will support this. A great deal has been accomplished to preserve our water future, including how area builders help to conserve by providing water-smart homes with water-wise products.
The home-building industry has for decades led the effort to increase water conservation in new housing, and new homes today are the most efficient in history. Everything from plumbing systems and fixtures to landscape design has been addressed. Additionally, the home-building industry sponsored and advocates the California Green Builder Program, which requires each new home to save 20,000 gallons of water per year.
Conservation is and will continue to be critical to our future. It deserves everyoneís close attention and commitment as we move forward. Combined with storage and conveyance improvements, conservation helps San Diego accommodate its inevitable growth. In addition to voluntary efforts, existing California law (SB 221 and 610) requires that new communities must have an identified and documented permanent water supply before any construction can begin.
What needs to be understood is that new homes and office buildings arenít the big water consumers. Eighty-five percent of California's water supply is consumed by agriculture. That number jumps to 97 percent in Imperial Valley. But local agriculture businesses clearly understood that if water cuts were needed they would be the first affected. This was part of the deal when they received reduced water rates.
Older, existing urban homes and buildings also consume a bigger source of San Diegoís water supply than new homes. So far this year, only 5,587 new homes were built and sold in the county. Clearly, the water impact of these families in these highly efficient homes is a mere drop in the bucket compared with the 1.13 million existing homes that likely have less efficient water heaters, five-plus gallon toilets and outdated appliances.
Our industry was also actively engaged in the development of a model Water Conservation Landscape Ordinance for the region that saves at least 30 percent more water than existing home landscapes. If residents didnít overwater their landscaping, San Diego would save 8.6 percent of its supply every year. New drought-tolerant landscaping could reduce the regionís water use by almost 13 percent a year.
Even where the majority of new housing is being built helps to save water. The urbanization of San Diego means more townhomes and condos using less water for landscaping, and these residential structures are far more water friendly overall than previous buildings on the same site.
San Diegans should be encouraged by the amount and variety of action occurring in the name of water autonomy. On the civic leadership side of things, the Water Authority has its Urban Water Management Plan in place, the governor and state Legislature are focused on water solutions, and the Coastal Commission recently approved a private-sector solution with the Carlsbad desalination plant. Our industry led the private-sector business community to actively and vocally support the desalination plant. We delivered 455 letters of support to the commission from our workforce. From a supply side, there is the new Olivenhain reservoir and the height increase of the San Vicente Dam reservoir. Those are only part of the $939 million the Water Authority is spending to store up enough water to aid the county if a crisis cuts off its normal supply. San Diego also has the Imperial Irrigation District transfer agreement at work to bring a supplemental supply from the East.
Southern California's water crisis is everyone's problem, and business, government, agriculture and residential customers should work jointly to achieve solutions. The building industry will remain steadfast in its commitment to help San Diego be water independent, while at the same time, providing families with quality places to live and work.
The Building Industry Association of San Diego represents the business and political interests of its 1,400 member companies and their 140,000 employees who earn a living in development and construction. For more information, visit www.biasandiego.org.
Paul Tryon is the chief executive of the Building Industry Association of San Diego County.
More Stories
Advertisement
urbanite wrote on Dec 9, 2007 6:59 AM:When ag uses water they make something. It supports the state's economy. It provides food. It keeps the price of food low, which world wide is rising at alarming rates. A food crisis will be much worse than an oil crisis, yet SAN DIEGO makes deals with the devil and buys Imperial Valley's water to support new development. THis is not sustainable and very short sighted. Imperial valley fallows land so developers can build "Playa Vistas" in San Diego. Any solution that reduces food supply is just stupid.
David wrote on Dec 9, 2007 9:46 AM:Most reporting on the water crisis recognizes that future growth will aggravate water supply issues. If things are tight now, of course a doubling of the population will damage everyone's quality of life. So it's amazing, but not surprising, to read the building industry's position: that current users (all of us) are the problem, Pointing at farms (our food and fiber providers) ignores the fact that demands for ever more water do not originate there-- in fact agriculture is cutting back, partly due to conservation but also as it succumbs to urban sprawl. Increased demand centers, instead, on the never-ending urban growth sector. Kudos, of course, go to new construction for any conservation elements it incorporates, but their impacts on the existing population are very real. The building industry focuses on its future customers, of course. It is fair for "real" people, those here right now, to ask why developments should keep cutting into their quality of life.
George wrote on Dec 9, 2007 11:26 AM:Whoa! "The urbanisation of San Diego means using less water for landscaping" is another way of saying "pave over everything" under the guise of water conservation. With population growth comes the need for more water! Water rationing is a short-term fix that doesn't address the need for an increased supply.
Hilarious! wrote on Dec 9, 2007 12:38 PM:So planting lawns and trees and flowers makes homes more conservation minded? How? This editorial is nothing more than divisive to encourage us to deny water to agriculture that just happens to grow our food supply. Without a domestic food supply, national security is gone. We must grow our own food period. Until construction can pass legislation allowing for grey water, among other things, to water landscaping, this entire article is joke! We simply must recycle sewage water and provide water for existing residents and farms. The heck with new building. It's has to stop now until 'new' water is created. Period.
Bernard wrote on Dec 9, 2007 7:22 PM:Necessary health and basics for quality of life are food, clothing, shelter. 1.Would like scientific proof that Calif farmers are wasting water with an accurate non-biased report that would be broken down by Calif counties, etc. Agriculture is extremely important in Calif. Think ahead, do you want your foodstuffs from China? Calif has fantastic weather for growing food, mushroom farms, vineyards, fire-resistant drought-tolerant plants, (ie vegetation from inches to feet; ground cover to tree size), and other farming and ranching type activities. 2.Would like all housing developments in SD County (more than a dozen homes) to be put on hold until the water issue is settled; meaning that there is definitely enough water for current residents in SD County before we build more houses. This would include water to fight wildfires. Of course, those that lost homes in the 2003 and 2007 fires should be able to build. Think grey water, think desalination, and think that Israel, a desert, is now able to supply the world with Israel-grown fresh flowers.
Sustainable wrote on Dec 11, 2007 9:41 PM:The BIA doesn't have a clue as to what sustainable development means. Figuring out how to get more of everything, including water is self-serving and idiotic in the long term. Time to start living within our means, unlike building McMansions and funding them with loans beyond our means. This solution sounds just tragic/traffic to me!
No new meters until... wrote on Dec 13, 2007 8:20 AM:The San Diego agricultural users, according to the ..., use only 11 %, that is eleven percent, of our water. The state figures are 80% - 90 %, so our farmers are very much more careful with water than our northern brethren. We definately need our food supply. We need our farms. California is the bread-basket of the nation. That being said, it is not very smart to issue more and more water meters, when there isn't enough water for those of us that are already here. We need to stop issuing "Letters of Availability" and stop approving projects until the drought is under control or until we have other sources of SAFE water.
BIA members profit from new projects wrote on Dec 13, 2007 4:23 PM:Where has the BIA been ? As far as water use, the newer the home, the more the water consumption for things like the plantings and new lawns. Also, the new homes have all had to comply with that wasteful "Stormwater Runoff" construction methods, with drain after drain going out into the runoff collectors which end up in the Pacific. Toilets - most of us have already switched our toilets to the low-water usage toilets that are provided via voucher. Not just residents, but commercial buildings. The BIA wants us to allow an endless supply of new construction. That is how its members survive. Stop issuing new meters, or at least make the fees high enough that funds are set aside for existing conservation methods.
anotherview wrote on Dec 13, 2007 9:50 PM:Statewide, farmers overuse and waste water. Farming activity now consumes about 85 percent of the available state water supply. Households use about 5 percent. The rest goes to government, industrial, and commercial. Simple math shows that forcing farmers statewide to lower their water use by only 5.88 percent would equal the amount of water households use. Further, about 30 percent of farm irrigation water goes to waste in runoff from the land. Via political pressure, however, farmers resist (1) improving their farm irrigation practices and (2) recycling farm water runoff. The Golden State has plenty of water available, but the distribution and use of this water does not happen rationally. Farmers grab most of the water, and then waste nearly a third of it. So any fair and sound solution to the water supply problem must require farmers statewide to stop using and wasting so much water. Then others will have enough water.
Today's Stories
Advertisement