Here in San Diego County we met the mandated water restrictions head on and went well above and beyond what was expected of us as consumers. That is the good news. But being that our utility agencies, that control the things that we rely on the most, continue to gouge us regardless of the situation, the San Diego County Water Authority voted to raise water rates 6.4 percent for untreated water and 5.9 percent for treated water in 2017. This comes after a whopping 16 percent rise in cost of water this year.
Here in San Diego County we met the mandated water restrictions head on and went well above and beyond what was expected of us as consumers. That is the good news. But being that our utility agencies, that control the things that we rely on the most, continue to gouge us regardless of the situation, the San Diego County Water Authority voted to raise water rates 6.4 percent for untreated water and 5.9 percent for treated water in 2017. This comes after a whopping 16 percent rise in cost of water this year. And its four-year plan compiles to a 40 percent compounded rate hike.
That being said, the State of California is allowing water districts to start easing up on the water restrictions individually, downgrading from a Stage 2 drought level to Stage 1. But our water authorities are moving to fast and in the wrong direction. Winter rains may have brought more water to the area, but Southern California did not receive nearly the amount of water from the lifeless El Niño, that did very little for our area other than to help us ease up on water usage outside the house. It is not a time to ease up on water restrictions and why should we? It only feeds the coffers of the water agencies that are supposed to be serving us. They say in the long run that these rate hikes will help us with water conservation with new infrastructure in the future, but it will also fill the pocket books of many of the high paying salaries that each water district has. San Diego County Water Authority jobs can range from more than $19,000 a month to more than $300,000 a year. Talks change to talk about trickle down economics, and these rates are dripping like a bad faucet and we are footing the bill in more ways than one.
Getting back to lifting water restrictions, it is imperative that we continue to save our water and keep the good habits we have practiced over the past couple of years in tact. Down here in Southern California our aquifers are increasingly going bone dry and now is not the time to pretend as if we have a future of bountiful water coming our way. As a community we need to dig in this drought foxhole and not come out. Out of all of the utilities that we need to keep our way of life water is the most precious of them all. We cannot live without it and we cannot run our aquifers dry for our children and grandchildren.
So keep you lawns brown. Change your landscape to drought resistant plants and if you are going to grow something, make it something that feeds the family. It is amazing how many fruit trees and summer or winter gardens that can be maintained while still being stingy with water use. Capturing water when it does rain, using a bucket in the kitchen sink and using rinse water or water used to wash food to water can go a very long way in watering your trees and gardens.
We were lucky this year even though we did not get the amount of water we wanted, we got more than we usually do. There is no way of telling when we will get water again, so do not let up on water conservation. Keep the good tools learned from severe drought because regardless of what stage we are in, when it comes to water reserves our future is bleak.
