California reached a conservation milestone in
September, when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, R, signed a bill
requiring all homes in the state to use water meters by 2025.
Existing California law requires water meters on all
houses built since 1992, but most utilities charge a flat rate,
rather than using the meters to charge by the gallon. Now, people
will pay more if they use more, and utilities will have the ability
to detect leaks and encourage customers to use their water wisely.
“Ornamental water meters are silly,” says Ron Stork of
the nonprofit group Friends of the River. “It’s time to get
with the 20th century, now that we’re in the 21st.”
Metering won’t be cheap, however. In Sacramento, the state
capital, over 100,000 homes must be retrofitted; the cost, an
estimated $300 million, will come out of the city’s pocket.
Angela Anderson, a spokesperson for the Sacramento department of
utilities, says the city objects to the metering mandate.
Long-standing water rights guarantee the city enough water to meet
present and future demands, she says, with or without such
conservation measures.
Despite Sacramento’s
complaints, it’s clear that charging people based on their
water use works: Through metering and consumer conservation
incentives, San Diego County has held its water use down. Residents
used virtually the same amount of water in 2003 as in 1990 —
despite a 16 percent population increase.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Californians put their money where their meter is.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
