In an effort to reduce water waste, Long Beach Water District has been offering customers smart water meters to keep track of water consumption.
The smart meters are part of a larger effort by Long Beach’s city and main water supplier to reduce water waste during California’s drought.
“We have now moved into the enforcement mode,” LBWD’s General Manager Kevin Wattier said. “The smart meters… are much more efficient at doing the water enforcement.”
The smart meters, which use cell phone technology to collect data on water usage every five minutes, are being installed in homes and businesses throughout Long Beach in order for LBWD to spot major water offenders and spot where water is being wasted, Wattier said.
The LBWD install the meters for free for residents and businesses that want to view how much water they use on a regular basis.
Wattier said that out of the 200 meters they had in stock, 180 have already been installed in homes and businesses.
“They probably will all be gone by the end of the week,” Wattier said.
LBDW has taken action and installed smart water meters on homes and businesses that are excessively water wasteful, Wattier said.
The meters also make it easier to enforce water restrictions. The department issued a fine of $800 against a Long Beach McDonald’s for four excessive use violations.
The LBDW has also partnered with the Office of Sustainability in the city government to promote the “lawn to garden” incentive program to get homeowners to remove their lawns and install drought resistant and California native plants.
Half of all residential water usage is used for landscaping, and lawns are the biggest source of wasted water, Larry Rich of the Office of Sustainability said.
“Our office helps with… landscape conversions to California friendly plants,” Rich said.
The Office of Sustainability is offering free mulch for Long Beach residents who have replaced their lawns with bushes and shrubs.
The mulch reduces water consumption by absorbing water for a long period of time and creates a barrier that slows evaporation of the soil below, Rich said.
Rich said that although the two agencies were not cooperating on any projects over the summer, he said he was optimistic that these measures could cut Long Beach’s water usage.
“It’s achievable just based on public awareness.” Rich said.
Although the state needs to reduce water consumption by 25 percent from the 2013 levels, Long Beach needs to reduce its usage by 20 percent, according to the LBWD’s website.
Last year, Long Beach’s water usage dropped by 6 percent.
If LBDW does not meet the reduction rates, the state will impose a fine of up to $10,000 per day, Wattier said.
“If that happens to us, then we’ll have no choice but to pass it on to our customers,” Wattier said.
Wattier said these enforcement measures are necessary, and the water meters alone may not be enough to meet the goal set by the State Water Resources Control Board.
“We are going to do everything we can to achieve [20 percent less water consumption], but it is going to be very difficult,” Wattier said.