From time to time, we like to share the views of respected leaders in the water industry. In this post, we share the observations of Adán Ortega, the chair of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. His comments on water have value for all of us in California and around the country. Below is the gist of some of his recent comments about water:
Is Water Taken for Granted in this Country? What is the Best Water to Drink?
I would argue that people do not take it for granted as much as they think they do. As to the best water to drink, one of the paradoxes of being in this arena is that our number one cost is assuring safe drinking water [with new] filtration systems and by meeting new quality control standards.
Yet, no matter how much we invest, a sizable percentage of the public distrusts tap water and prefers bottled water, or they buy water in vending machines. But when you use water out of the tap, it costs about a third of a penny compared to purchasing water. When you go to a vending machine or buy water out of a bottle, it can cost as much as $1 a gallon — for the same water from the same source.
And we must add that bottled water and water from vending machines is not as regulated as tap water. But because the water industry keeps revising standards, it gives the public the impression that water out of the tap is unsafe. The water industry has not done a respectable job of overcoming these misconceptions. One of my goals in the next two to four years is to make sure our residents know their tap water is safe and healthy.
Do People Always Expect Affordable Water Whenever They Turn on the Tap?
One of our challenges with water affordability is producing a universal low-income rate assistance program. I think there’s growing momentum to accomplish this. It is a priority for Metropolitan in our climate adaptation masterplan because we believe access to water is a human right.
Statewide, it has been estimated that it will cost $600 million a year to provide assistance for low-income residents across the state to ensure access to affordable water whenever needed. And so, we are trying to figure out a funding strategy for these residents. Water is going to get more expensive; we all know that. We are going to have to help those low-income earners be able to afford their water bills. It is, we believe, a basic human right.
Are People More Aware of How Much Water They Use for Landscaping?
We have spent over a billion dollars since 2016 to encourage people to reclaim California’s natural landscape heritage. And the hopeful sign is that they are starting to do this. People are beginning to find the beauty of our natural landscape heritage and appreciate it in a way that they did not before.
How we landscape our yards is changing and will change in the future. It’s already happening. You are beginning to see this all over California.
This does not mean we can only grow cactus. Our yards do not have to look like deserts. I have a California-friendly garden at my house, which is as green as anybody’s, and yet, I don’t use much water. My plants have adapted to California. In the next 10-15 years, we’ll be looking at pictures of Southern California as it once was and appreciating it.
Our Takeaway
While Ortega’s comments reference California, they certainly are not specific to California. Throughout the country, especially in the western states, people are coming to the same conclusions. We must value water, appreciate water, and use it more efficiently.
