Making Water Conservation a Way of Life

As most of our shareholders and customers know, California is once again in a multi-year drought.

In California, droughts are not uncommon. Big ones come around every decade or two. Through studies of tree rings, sediment and other natural evidence, researchers have documented multiple droughts in California that have lasted 10 or 20 years during the last 1,000 years.

In addition to having the largest population in the United States with over 39 million people, California also produces the most agricultural and manufacturing products. Urban uses, farming and industry have all led California to be the largest water user in the United States, according to the United States Geological Survey. Add to this water for environmental concerns and the State’s water infrastructure has been stressed.

While our region is very fortunate to pump water from local aquifers and we are in a better situation than most water agencies in the State, we are not immune from droughts.

Currently, the groundwater storage levels where most of the water that our region receives their water from are at their lowest level in recorded history.

There also seems to be a misconception that we do not rely on imported water. San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District has purchased over 1,000,000 acre-feet of State Project Water since 1972. One acre-foot of water is 325,851 gallons. This water is used to supplement local aquifers through recharge and supply water to treatment plants in our area. When water is not available, not only does it affect recharge, but those agencies that would normally use State Water for their plants need to pump more ground water.

We at Riverside Highland Water Company would like to encourage our shareholders and customers to use water wisely. Fixing all water leaks and eliminating the unnecessary waste of water are vital to ensure our water needs are met, now and into the future. For information on existing mandatory water restrictions click here.