With the proposed Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) failing to meet the standards of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), California legislators made haste to create a better plan.
In an article for the NRDC blog Switchboard, Western Water Project staff attorney Doug Obegi wrote that the new water bond proposal now includes a smaller budget to fund water recycling and cleanup solutions, among others, rather than the construction of new water facilities. However the next BDCP vote turns out this November. Time is of the essence as California’s water problems are already taking a huge toll on the population. Obegi writes:
Virtually all of California – 99.8 percent – is in severe drought. The toxic blue-green algae that shut down Toledo’s drinking water supply earlier this month is thriving in Stockton’s waterways, thanks to warm, stagnant water and low river flows. Many farmers and cities across the state are struggling with low water supplies. And salmon and other native fish populations are crashing.
Among the proposed projects in the BDCP is stormwater capture, which is considered to be among the most effective stormwater best management practices. Providers like StormChambers can give residents in the Delta a hand by providing reliable storm water capturing and recycling solutions designed for both residential and commercial properties.
Reusing runoffs for irrigation and landscape maintenance is an excellent storm water management practice. Against agricultural and urban water conservation efforts, the NDRC estimates that storm water capturing strategies can help provide California with 10.8 million to 13.7 million acre-feet of usable water per year.
Other states can concur with this assessment: a study conducted in Florida says that reusing storm water allows utility companies to save money, mainly because storm water is cheaper than potable water. These companies can even make a profit by selling captured storm water for irrigation, cleaning, and other commercial purposes.
It has to be said that collected storm water runoffs aren’t for human consumption, unless they’re been otherwise treated. However, such innovations at StormChambers’ HydroLogic Solutions are designed to be one of the safest, most advanced, and most economical water solutions for domestic uses such as watering the lawn or cleaning the garage.
If the new BDCP gets the voters’ nod, it is hoped that it can address some of the most pressing concerns of Delta residents, as well as a state-wide growing water problem before it gets any worse.
(Source: A Water Bond to Protect the Environment and the Economy, The Energy Collective, September 06, 2014)
