Sonoma County Gazette, November, 2014: The Drought

Urban Conservation Report Card:
20% goal not met….

Who’s paying attention?
Most people served by public water systems are accustomed to turning on the tap and water flows out. Busy urban dwellers seldom ponder where their water is coming from, how it gets to their taps, or whether reservoir supplies are adequate. City planners generally rely on ‘paper water’ for new development, i.e., estimated projections of how much future water is expected to be available.

What motivates people to pay attention to water use? How much attention has been paid to media publicity repeatedly announcing we are in a drought? Do people notice the pictures of depleted reservoirs? The new heroes are those who look at their dying lawns with pride! In this time of dire shortage, the difference between green and brown has become the symbol of who cares and who doesn’t.