Sometimes I regret chiming in but I do have some insight here. I work for a water district. Some of the concepts in this bill are so drenched in water industry parlance that it's easy to be confused/deceived. Water districts allocate a certain amount of water to a household that is designated as "indoor" water. No we don't have a separate meter that can tell us how much of your usage was indoors. It's simply an up front portion of water that is charged at a different rate (usually less) than the remainder of the water you use. So you get assigned 2.2 ccf of water usage per person, per month that will be charged at the indoor rate (ex. $1.75/ccf). Any water you consume beyond that will be considered outdoor usage and will be charged at a different rate (ex. $3.25/ccf). Some districts even have another tier above outdoor that is often considered wasteful usage and is charged at an even higher premium rate (ex. $5.00/ccf). As it stands, water districts are allowed to set the indoor allocation how ever they want based on a number of factors. This bill forces water districts to set the indoor allocation to 55g/day (2.2 ccf over a month). Doesn't seem like a big deal? Just remember that the only tool a water district has to force you to reduce consumption is it's rate structure. If water is cheap, we use it without a thought. I hate to say, but most people can't be bothered to conserve water at all unless it hits them in the pocket book.
Regarding the seemingly wasteful habits of some in other communities... yup. We like to think that moral shaming has some power over people but it really doesn't. Those green lawns you see in the desert are VERY expensive green lawns. If someone is willing to pay $1000 a month to maintain a putting green in 110 degree heat, we don't really have a way to stop them. As it stands, the water quality from the Colorado and from up north are becoming more questionable, requiring higher degrees of treatment. We are overdrafting basically every groundwater table (including in Wrightwood) in the state. And yes, they are continuing to build homes. All I can say is that where I work, we are pressed from all sides trying to establish current and future sources of water. The state can change delivery agreements with little or no notice. The logistics of the larger water infrastructure prevents some water sources from even being deliverable to all organizations that need it. It's a crazy web, and then enter the politicians. That speaks for itself.
