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Newsletter: Water and Power: Changing the landscape of California

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Your guide to the California drought from the Los Angeles Times.

Rain in the Sierras is common, but when one has spent weeks in #drylandsCA, it is a most welcome sight.

NEWS AND POLICY

Water savings: Californians cut their urban water use 27% in June, according to newly released figures. Yet 16 water agencies reported they couldn’t meet their conservation goals, revelations that could result in fines. State water officials are worried that, going forward, Californians will save less water if they believe that a winter El Niño system will bring enough rainfall to end the drought. "It's not that I hate El Niño, I hate El Niño hype," said Felicia Marcus with the State Water Resources Control Board.

Legislative aid: Sen. Dianne Feinstein wants to funnel $1.3 billion to California for water storage, desalination projects and other efforts to help the state through the drought. Her plan contrasts with the one put forward by House Republicans, which would roll back environmental protections and allow for more pumping to the San Joaquin Valley. The bill could get a hearing as soon as September.

Big problem: Water now tops Californians' list of concerns, according to a new poll, and because of that they’re more open to long-term changes in the state's water policy. Many residents also are willing to pay more for water if it means upgrading the state's infrastructure. "The public wants more to be done to address this issue," said Lester Snow, executive director of the California Water Foundation.

Keeping up: Convincing people to tear out their lawns may have been all about appearances. The Metropolitan Water District acknowledged that having a drought-tolerant lawn became a badge of honor and put social pressure on neighbors to follow suit, even though it's not the most effective way to save water. Perhaps installing a low-flow toilet would have been a better idea, but rarely do your neighbors come over to check out the commode.

ON THE GROUND

Dry lake: Sometimes the difference between knowing something and seeing something is that seeing it, like a depleted Lake Oroville, can be heartbreaking. "My eyes traveled from the treeline down-down-down burnt-orange cliffs and finally to the water. The houseboats crowded on the narrowed lake looked like they were cars in a choo-choo train. 'Oh God,' we both said."

Ongoing challenge: Why is it so hard for the city of El Monte to save water? The city manager says that residents are cutting back, even though they missed their conservation goal by 23 percentage points. "On Friday in the city of about 116,000 residents, children played on inflatable water slides and in plastic wading pools. An elderly woman watered her front yard in the scorching afternoon sun using a hose with no nozzle."

New designs: One developer is attempting to save water by changing the way the Central Valley builds housing. In Reedley, new homes are smaller and green space is shared. Wastewater will also be treated and sent back into an aquifer under the city. "Embedding principles into everything I did became far more important to me than the fanciest Italian marble in the bathroom," according to the developer.

Environmental cleanup: Imperial County wants $3.15 billion to restore the state's largest lake, the Salton Sea. The water was once a big attraction for tourists, but agricultural runoff has dried up and dust has settled in. "While we’re sitting around waiting for a big plan, the Salton Sea is continuing to shrink. And in a few years, it's going to shrink pretty rapidly. We need to be doing something," said Michael Cohen, a senior researcher with the Pacific Institute.

Making the grade: New water numbers were released last week. That means the drought report card was updated. Type in your address and see how well your area is conserving water.

OFFBEAT

Time yourself: Californians know one way to save water is to take shorter showers. If you don't want to keep a timer in the bathroom, you may want to consider a new shower curtain that will let you know when your four minutes are up. It does so by inflating pointy spikes that will practically force you out of the shower.

New garnish: There are new hazards when it comes to dining outside: sand and grit on the dinner plate. That's the complaint from some diners in Montrose where restaurants owners replaced grass with decomposed granite. "I have to keep giving my customers new plates of food," said the owner of Montrose Bakery & Cafe.

BIG IDEAS

"It's something of a relief, if a mixed one, that the drought has surged into the role of the latest scourge to freak out California. It's a relief in the sense that it means that the California economy, so recently frighteningly rocky, has receded as the top-billed problem facing the state, even if the recovery is more patchy and vulnerable than anyone might wish. But it's mixed, of course, because the drought carries its own dangers, and the ultimate solution — rain — remains wholly out of the power of politicians or everyday Californians."

L.A. Times columnist Cathleen Decker on the "trickle down" politics of the drought.

"Go to any temple. They will tell you about the drought."

Pawanjit Singh in Chico.

DROUGHT SNAPSHOT

Workers roll up a piece of artificial grass to be installed in the backyard of a Pacific Palisades home in May.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Workers roll up a piece of artificial grass to be installed in the backyard of a Pacific Palisades home in May. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

DAILY TIP

Here are 50 flowers, trees and grasses to plant this fall and save water. Replacing grass with a water-wise plant pallet could save you 42 gallons per square foot a year, according to the Metropolitan Water District.

LOOKING AHEAD

— The State Water Resources Control Board will meet today to discuss the recently released water conservation figures.

— The L.A. Department of Water and Power will meet today.

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Alice Walton or Shelby Grad.

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