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Wednesday, December 16, 2009

San Diego to start charging renters for their use


WATER: Renters may get water meters, and bills to go with them

SAN DIEGO PONDERS 'SUBMETER' REQUIREMENT TO ENCOURAGE CONSERVATION

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Above, the exterior of Aquatera, an upscale apartment complex in San Diego where all units have individual water meters located in outdoor storage closets adjacent to each apartment's patio, is seen. At right, a meter is shown. (Photo by Jamie Scott Lytle - Staff photographer)

SAN DIEGO ---- Apartments and condos are the next frontier in the struggle to reduce water consumption in drought-plagued California.

New and substantially remodeled apartments, condos and other "multifamily" projects in San Diego would be required to have individual water meters, under an ordinance to be introduced early next year.

Most occupants of apartments and condos aren't billed directly for the amount of water they use. Instead, the cost is divided among the occupants and essentially included in the rent for apartments and association fees for condos.

So if occupants see how much water they use, and are billed for it, they'll have an incentive to save water, said Marti Emerald, a San Diego councilmember. Emerald is backing the effort to require "submetering," as it's called, to encourage conservation.

If the ordinance passes, it could encourage other cities in the region to adopt similar measures, Emerald said. Officials of other cities in the region express interest when she brings up the subject, but they haven't gone further.

"I think there's a tendency to sit back and watch and see what happens, before other government entities jump in," she said.

The ordinance has the support of the San Diego County Apartment Association, a local trade group.

Apartment owners want to save water, and an ordinance will supply a uniform standard for them to follow, said spokesman Alan Pentico.

There's also a financial motivation for the apartment owners to conserve: Water rates are increasingly sharply, with double-digit increases the norm over the last few years, and no end in sight.

The potential for saving water is substantial, Emerald said.

"Nearly half of the housing in the city of San Diego is multifamily housing, apartments or condos," Emerald said.

Where it's been tried, submetering has reduced water consumption in the units by about 15 to 30 percent, she said.

"San Diego would become the largest city in California to have a submetering ordinance," Emerald said. "Ours would be the only one that has a trigger for pre-existing buildings. It would be the toughest in the state."

The trigger requirement is still being worked on. Emerald said it could be based on a percentage of pipes replaced, so that a major renovation project would be configured to include individual meters.

Apartment builders have recently begun to consider submetering and other water conservation measures. One new apartment complex in San Diego, Aquatera, already has submetered units. The 254-unit project by H.G. Fenton Co. also has a waterfall, pool and extensive green lawns.

However, the lawn is artificial turf, the pool is salt water and the waterfall is fed by an underground aquifer. The area is landscaped with low water-use plants. All told, Aquatera uses half the water of similarly sized projects, said Mike Neal, H.G. Fenton's president and CEO.

"The washing machines are front-loading, very low water use machines, and the toilets are ultra, ultra low-flow," about 2.8 gallons per flush, Neal said.

Neal said the water-efficient features are part of Fenton's desire to be a "good and responsible developer."

Emerald said the ordinance is expected to go before the Planning Commission in early January, and be ready for the San Diego City Council's consideration by the end of January.

In addition, Emerald said she's also interested in seeing incentives offered to encourage more recently constructed apartment and condo projects to install individual meters.

"California's plumbing codes changed in 1998 to require individual shutoff valves in apartments and condo units," Emerald said. "There's a whole stock of housing built after the plumbing code change that realistically could be retrofitted. It would be expensive, but it's a possibility."

State law authorizes cities to make low-interest loans to fund solar power installation in residences, Emerald said, and legislators are already talking about approving a similar program for water conservation.

"We'll be working on that through the next year, to pull together a funding bank to help people make these retrofits and start saving water," Emerald said.

Monty's Plumbing phone 619 823-5662 fax 619 546-9257

Monday, November 16, 2009

More cities in California approving Grey Water

More cities in California approving Grey Water
The county of SonomaThe county of Sonoma Permit and Resource Management Department, or PRMD, is trying to figure out whether projects that reuse nontoxic, nonpathogenic wastewater from washing machines or single fixtures, such as showers and sinks, for underground irrigation can qualify for financing under theSonoma County Energy Independence Program, or SCEIP, according to Bob Herr, liquid waste specialist for PRMD.

On Aug. 4, the California Building Standards Commission officially adopted the “laundry to landscape” greywater systems standard as Chapter 16A of Title 24 in the state plumbing code. The body adopted it as an emergency measure in June because of the declared drought.

“There is talk about SCIEP money being used for greywater systems,” Mr. Herr said. “The hitch is that they need to take out a permit, but greywater systems now do not need a permit. So we need to figure out a way to verify the work has been done under the program.”

The department also is concerned about proper design and installation of greywater systems that now don’t need a permit. So a pamphlet is expected to be available soon online at www.sonoma-county.org/prmd and in the PRMD office with information on the new state guidelines. Details on systems and the new standards are available from Oasis Design at www.oasisdesign.net/greywater/law/california/currentcode/, which was a major proponent of the law change. Permit and Resource Management Department, or PRMD, is trying to figure out whether projects that reuse nontoxic, nonpathogenic wastewater from washing machines or single fixtures, such as showers and sinks, for underground irrigation can qualify for financing under the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program, or SCEIP, according to Bob Herr, liquid waste specialist for PRMD.

On Aug. 4, the California Building Standards Commission officially adopted the “laundry to landscape” greywater systems standard as Chapter 16A of Title 24 in the state plumbing code. The body adopted it as an emergency measure in June because of the declared drought.

“There is talk about SCIEP money being used for greywater systems,” Mr. Herr said. “The hitch is that they need to take out a permit, but greywater systems now do not need a permit. So we need to figure out a way to verify the work has been done under the program.

The department also is concerned about proper design and installation of greywater systems that now don’t need a permit. So a pamphlet is expected to be available soon online at www.sonoma-county.org/prmd and in the PRMD office with information on the new state guidelines. Details on systems and the new standards are available from Oasis Design at www.oasisdesign.net/greywater/law/california/currentcode/, which was a major proponent of the law change.

Friday, November 13, 2009

New Gray water policy adopted by S.A.S.C

The Sustainable Alliance For Southern California has adopted new policy on gray water.

Below is the statement released buy the S.A.S.C

Dear Fellow Sustainability Advocates:

During our regular meeting on October 27, the Sustainability Alliance of Southern California adopted the following official policy position regarding graywater use in Southern California:

"It is the policy of the Sustainability Alliance of Southern California to promote maximum implementation of graywater systems in Southern California. We encourage all jurisdictions within Southern California to proactively support regulatory approval for graywater systems and that incentives, including cash rebates, sewage rate reductions, or reduction in water rates, be evaluated."

We are taking this position of support for graywater reuse for a number of reasons:

1) Simplest way to reclaim and reuse a valuable resource without expensive treatment and re-distribution.

2) Provides a readily available water source for irrigation of yards and greenbelts.

3) Conserves our most precious resource—fresh, potable water.

4) Cuts down on the amount of electricity needed to move water to and throughout our region.

5) Reduces the amount of wastewater that needs to be treated at publicly owned treatment works resulting in less effluent disposed of through ocean outfalls.

6) Less water treated translates to a reduction in related treatment costs and chemicals used in the treatment process.

Supporting this policy now makes sense because...

1) California is in a declared State of Emergency due to extended drought conditions and much needed, potable water is used to irrigate residential landscapes.

2) Statewide legislation supporting use of graywater was recently incorporated into existing building codes, 'opting in' every municipality for graywater use. To opt out, a municipality must hold a public hearing and show just cause for restricting or eliminating graywater use.

a) SB 1258 (which was signed into law in September 2008) directed the Housing and Community Development (HCD) agency to propose building standards for the construction, installation, and alteration of graywater systems for residential indoor and outdoor uses to the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC). Existing graywater standards contained in the California Code of Regulations, Title 24, California Plumbing Code, Part 5, Appendix G were based on requirements for private sewage disposal. These standards were found to be overly prescriptive and antiquated and not readily usable by people seeking to install graywater systems for the purpose of water conservation and reuse.

b) The emergency graywater regulations, which added Chapter 16A, Part I "Nonpotable Water Reuse Systems,” were approved by the CBSC on July 30, 2009. The emergency regulations were subsequently filed with the Secretary of State on August 4, 2009, effective immediately upon filing.

The two most significant changes in the new regulations:

1) Single Fixture Systems (such as clothes washers) no longer require a permit and

2) Irrigation lines no longer have to be buried 9 inches, but can simply be placed under 2 inches of mulch.

Considerations for graywater use:

1) It’s best to use non-chlorine bleach when washing clothes.

2) Distribute graywater as widely as possible rather than concentrate (such as in a trench), choosing which zones to saturate, either automatically, or by hand.

3) For optimal results, blend subsoil with a thick layer of bio-dynamic organic matter/topsoil and cover with 1-2 inches of mulch.

Advocates are encouraged to have impact on this issue by:

1) Getting your city council to put the item on their calendar and providing supporting testimony during the formal discussion and vote about whether to adopt the policy position for your city/county.

2) Getting your organization or group to begin promoting graywater use. If so inclined, you can adopt the policy position above.

Thank you for your help guiding our region to implement sustainable practices.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Rainwater Harvest Open House Dec 5 at 10am


Brook Sarson of H2OME invites you to a rainwater harvest open house on Dec. 5 from 10am-2pm. She will discuss important concepts that pertain to urban farming, rain water harvesting, and greywater irrigation.

For more info: http://www.h2o-me.com/

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Water Harvesting Open House


Water Harvesting Open House
Sunday, October 25
10:
00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
In Talmadge - RSVP for address

Come see water harvesting in action! Guided by Water Harvesting Professional and Permaculturist, Brook Sarson, you'll see how a 1320 gallon rainwater tank combined with laundry greywater and bath greywater work together to grow a garden of edibles using only 1/
4 of the water that most San Diegans use each day.

As you tour this urban farm setting, you'll see natural building techniques including a cob chicken coop, decorative benches as well as an earth pizza oven. Brook will be on-
hand to talk to you about solutions for your space and how you can make a difference during San Diego's water crisis and beyond.

Please feel free to arrive at any time during the open house to learn about simple greywater systems, do-
it-yourself options, rainwater-harvesting systems, resources, or schedule an appointment with Brook to assess greywater opportunities at your site. Suggested donation of $5 will go toward supporting water activism in San Diego. Please RSVP to Brook at brook@h2o-me.com or call 619.964.4838 and I will give you the address.

Friday, July 31, 2009

Oasis Designs and Grey/Gray Water systems



To learn more about Gray Water systems, this is one of the best resources available. Check it out online by clicking on the image to buy it from Amazon, or below to learn more about Grey Water at Oasis Designs.

http://oasisdesign.net/greywater/createanoasis/index.htm

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