Our view: Water, electricity price hikes are worth the cost if they spark conservation

California is a state of abundant natural resources. Unfortunately, water and energy aren't among them. Recent rate hikes for water and power are a reminder that we must do a better job of managing what we have.

This week the Metropolitan Water District, the agency that sells water to San Diego County, announced that it is raising wholesale rates. While no one likes to pay more for anything, we shouldn't overreact to price increases for a precious commodity that is often wasted because of its relative affordability.

The 5.8 percent increase in water rates will probably cost the average San Diego County ratepayer only between $1 to $1.50 a month. Admittedly, Metropolitan's rate raise will likely trigger increases by other agencies, including the San Diego County Water Authority, which in turn sells it to the 23 cities and water districts that directly supply county residents.

It doesn't help our wallets that the Olivenhain Municipal Water District, Vista Irrigation District, Valley Center Municipal Water District, the Rainbow Municipal Water District, and San Marcos' Vallecitos Water District have already either increased rates or are considering increases.

But let's put this in perspective.

The National Drought Mitigation Center reported Thursday that California is in the midst of a moderate drought. In Southern California and the Sierras, where snowmelt supplies much of our drinking water, that drought is "severe," according to most experts. Some Northern California communities are already being asked to voluntarily cut back water usage or face mandatory cutbacks. Meanwhile, the Colorado River basin is experiencing one of its worst droughts ever. The Colorado still supplies Southern California with about a third of its drinking water.

According to the Western Municipal Water District in Riverside, the average Southern California family uses about 450 gallons of water daily. In its 2005 annual report, the county water authority reports that residential and commercial landscaping accounts for half of that use. That's 225 gallons a day to grow roses and tropical plants and keep lawns green. In a desert.

The good news is that Southern Californians can cut their water use and costs without major lifestyle changes, just by being a little more sensible about what they plant in their yards. Good ideas are sprouting at the Water Conservation Garden, which you can see online at http://www.thegarden.org/ or in person at Cuyamaca College in El Cajon. Admission is free and they offer monthly classes advising how to plant water-wise yards and gardens.

Small, smart changes can also help us grapple with rising electricity costs. On Thursday, the state Public Utilities Commission gave permission to San Diego Gas & Electric Co. to install digital meters. These so-called "smart" meters will be able to communicate with appliances and users to provide tips on how to reduce electricity bills, including giving real-time information about demand and prices on the regional energy grid.

The new meters are expected to cost residential users between $1 and $1.50 a month, but SDG&E also has plans for rebates that will reward consumers who use less electricity during peak hours. Even without such incentives, the new technology should allow people to reduce their electricity bills by using power more efficiently.

Our region is also thirsting for ever-more energy. Californians conserved at record levels during the 2000-01 energy crisis, but our demand for electricity has since been surging. Meanwhile, SDG&E's controversial effort to build a Sunrise Powerlink through the desert and some North County communities, along with the news last month that the utility was shopping around for another major power plant, remind us that the region's struggles over energy generation won't go dim anytime soon.

Concerns over environmental impacts have made the creation and transmission of power ever more difficult. Water, too, has a murky future, especially if we take seriously climate change's threat to our water supply and the regulatory hurdles awaiting desalination of the salt water to the west. The most obvious answer in both cases is to reduce demand.

All of us should use the latest water hikes, and the pending electricity bump, as an opportunity to re-evaluate how we use water and electricity.