Los Angeles Water Rationing Works

Lawns may be browner (for those users that have not yet taken the plunge in purchasing wholesale artificial grass), cars dirtier,and more sidewalks covered with leaves - but water consumption is down by record numbers. According to the DWP, water use in the city was down 18.4% for the time period June through October 2009 - months that are normally the hottest and "thirstiest" time of the year. This water reduction - the lowest usage levels in 18 years - occurs at the same time that over the last 18 years the population has grown by 500,000. In short - Los Angeles is using less water than it did a quarter of a century ago.

Other cities have reduced water usage as well - all in response to dealing with a 3 year drought. Customer's of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have reduced use by more than 10%. Consumption in Huntington Beach is down by 10%. Consumption in Beverly Hills is down by 13%. In Long Beach - usage is at its lowest levels in 12 years.  Eco Alliance is pleased to have contributed to this water reduction - most recently assisting the City of Fountain Vally with the installation of artificial grass.

Reminder - water pricing has also gone up - the net effect of reducing the amount of water customers can buy at the cheapest price - again a great incentive to buy artificial grass - whether you install it yourself or have a professional artificial lawn installer do it for you. As a reminder - sprinklers can only be used 2 days per week, for a maximum of 15 minutes at a time, and no watering between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. In addition, residents are not allowed to clean driveways or sidewalks with a hose, and if a hose is used to wash a car it must have a shot-off nozzle.

The drop in water usage by DWP customers equates to 17.6 billion gallons. The biggest cutback in DWP water usage came from government customers - which lowered water usage by 28.8% followed by single family houses with a 23.2% reduction.  According to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa - "living in a desert-like environment with a limited water supply, it is imperative that we limit our water consumption and get smarter about our water use."

In the last 5 months the Water Control Officers have handed out 2,379 warnings and 105 citations. Initial offenses will cost you $100 to $200 and fines increase with subsequent offenses.

Be sure to check with your cities and local water districts to find out about the rebates you can receive when you buy artificial grass.