Newsletter: Water and Power: Toilet to tap makes a comeback

Your guide to the California drought from the Los Angeles Times.

NEWS AND POLICY

Request for funding: Californians approved a water bond in 2014 but another plan to upgrade the state’s water infrastructure could be on the way. The proposal comes from Jerry Meral, director of the Natural Heritage Institute's water program. It would cover conservation, water-recycling programs and desalinization at a cost of $5 billion.

Toilet to tap: In an effort to reduce Southern California’s reliance on imported water, the Metropolitan Water District is considering a new recycling effort that would turn sewage into drinking water. It would take about a decade to build the new infrastructure, and similar plants have cost $1 billion. “If anything, this drought has demonstrated that you'd better have a diversified water portfolio or you're not going to survive very well,” said Mark Gold, associate vice chancellor for environment and sustainability at UCLA.

Reform efforts: Has the L.A. Department of Water and Power transformed enough to warrant an increase in utility rates? That’s the question for Mayor Eric Garcetti, who campaigned on the promise that he would reform a department that many Angelenos believe spends too much money with very little oversight. “I don't know what he means by 'reform.' You just haven't seen any of the real organizational reform or structural reform that Eric's talking about,” said one DWP critic.

ON THE GROUND

Health problems: The drought is exacerbating mental health issues in farming communities that are struggling to stay afloat without water. Residents in East Porterville, where wells have gone dry, are experiencing anxiety and depression. Studies in Australia and India found suicide rates among farmworkers increased when those countries faced extreme droughts. “In a town whose problems already include air pollution, water contamination and poverty, the drought has spurred a growing health crisis, worsening respiratory conditions and burdening those with other illnesses.”

Supply and demand: California’s rice crop is down by 30% this year. Farmers in Arkansas and other southern states are stepping in to make up the difference, and that has California growers worried about their long-term prospects. “I’m concerned because once you lose a market ... people get accustomed to someone else’s product,” said Fritz Durst, a fifth-generation farmer.

OFF BEAT

One can only hope: The Silicon Valley Leadership Group met last week in Mountain View. There, politicians and tech executives talked about what they’ve learned from the drought. “My kids are waiting for the waterless Slip ‘n Slide,” said the group’s vice president.

BIG IDEAS

"We have kept watering, just watering less. I wish we were more virtuous. This is a huge problem for our state, but we haven't let our grass die. Feel guilty, but there you have it!”

-- a Hollywood producer on how he’s landscaping his Bel-Air estate.

DROUGHT SNAPSHOT

DAILY TIP

From the Metropolitan Water District, here are tips on selecting a smart sprinkler controller. They range in price from $90 to $300, and can save homeowners more than 37 gallons of water per day.

LOOKING AHEAD …

Wednesday: Rand Corp. will host a policy forum on the state’s drought and water policy.

Thursday: State water officials are expected to release conservation figures for the month of August; the Los Angeles DWP will host a community meeting in Pacoima on water and power rates.

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Alice Walton or Shelby Grad.