Campus, Long Beach, News

Long Beach continues to surpass water conservation goals

With the ongoing drought straining California for water, cities across the state have been issued specific water conservation goals to reach.

Despite the strong restrictions, Long Beach has once again surpassed its 16 percent water reduction goal for the third month in a row, according to the city’s water department.

According to the State Water Resources Control Board, Long Beach reduced its total water usage in the month of August by 17.7 percent in relation to levels measured in 2013. In June and July, water reduction was measured at about 19 percent.

Some of the conservation rules in effect that are contributing to the city’s success include watering lawns and landscapes only twice a week, not using potable water to clean sidewalks and driveways, only cleaning vehicles and other equipment with water from a bucket or hose with a shut-off system and only allowing potable water to be used in fountains that have a recirculating system, according to the Long Beach Water Department.

“At home, our lawn is completely brown,” said Rose Leidenfrost, a senior electrical engineering major at CSULB. “We just don’t water it at all because it’s really not essential.”

Kevin Wattier, general manager of the Long Beach Water Department, said that the water conservation goals for each city are based on residential per capita water consumption in 4 percent increments.

“[Long Beach’s] consumption is about equally split one-third between single-family homes, multifamily homes and commercial/industrial customers,” Wattier said.

California State University, Long Beach has similarly been taking steps towards reducing its water usage, aiming to cut down its roughly 200 million gallon annual water consumption by 20 percent this year, according to the school’s sustainability page.

As of August, the school completed the first step in a plan targeting specific areas on campus that require large amounts of water and converting them into drought resistant landscapes.

Paul Wingco, CSULB’s energy and sustainability manager, said that the plan would address 13 different areas on campus hopefully within the next three years, depending on available funding.

Wingco said that he thinks these steps could possibly reduce overall water consumption at CSULB by as much as 40 percent when completed.

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