Southern California Green Real Estate Blog

GREENING BUILDINGS THE EASY WAY - THE ICC GREEN BUILDING OVERLAY

GREENING BUILDINGS THE EASY WAY - THE ICC GREEN BUILDING OVERLAY

By Jodi Summers

More green building codes anyone? Sure, there are already several green building codes in use today - LEED, Energy Star, NAHB Green, Green Globes, BREEM and the latest, and perhaps most practical to join the crowd is ICC – the of International Code Council.

FYI, you’ve walked through hundreds of International Code Council respecting properties. Most U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt building codes choose the International Codes developed by the International Code Council. As the ICC already has such a huge fan base, they’ve decided to have their input into green building codes > a.k.a. IGCC.

The objective of this new project is to develop a Green Building Code for traditional and high-performance buildings that is consistent and coordinated with the ICC family of Codes and Standards.

“Congratulations on taking such an important step to ensure the creation of such a code system. We are pleased to support this effort in any way possible,” USGBC President Richard Fedrizzi stated publicly, throwing in a compliment to the Code Council for “undertaking a collaborative approach to this important work.”

A bit of insight: the International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention, develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools.

Being the progressive state that we are, California, has already adopted a green building code, which is incorporated into the template the ICC has come up with for the rest of the country.

“California continues to lead the nation and I commend the hard work of the Building Standards Commission to adopt the first-in-the-nation statewide green building standards,” proudly observed Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The objective of the ICC code will be to raise the bottom line, giving all buildings a greener baseline. LEED, in contrast, is a bolder standard, providing innovative and more challenging ways to reduce green house gas emissions, materials usage, enhance energy efficiency, and all other good green things.

An ICC green code will make politicians, building inspectors and code officials comfortable with adopting and utilizing I-Codes as the basis for building regulations. By adopting an ICC code and augmenting it with what some of the greener cities like Santa Monica, Berkeley, Sacramento and West Hollywood are doing, municipalities will not have to reinvent the code wheel when looking to implement green building practices.

Wisely, the ICC Green Building Code is an overlay that can integrate with the I-codes that already exist in most jurisdictions.

**

http://www.greenbuildinglawblog.com

http://www.greenerbuildings.com/blog/2009/08/20/why-world-needs-another-green-building-standard

http://www.iccsafe.org/

http://www.socalgreenrealestateblog.com/?p=157

http://www.iccsafe.org/news/nr/2009/0722_USGBC.pdf

CALGREEN – > CALIFORNIA NOW HAS THE COUNTRY’S GREENEST BUILDING STANDARD

By Jodi Summers

Bravo to us! California has adopted the greenest building standards in the United States…and the world.

The new code, called Calgreen, goes into effect next January 2011. It requires all builders to:

v Install plumbing that cuts indoor water use.

Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board, said the new building code would require developers to slash water use in their buildings by 20%, using more efficient toilets, shower heads and faucets.

v Divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills to recycling.

v Use low-pollutant paints, carpets and floorings

v Buildings will be given certificates of occupancy occupied only after strict energy standards were verified.

In addition, for non residential buildings:

v Install separate water meters for different uses.

v Mandates the inspection of energy systems by local officials to ensure that heaters, air conditioners and other mechanical equipment in nonresidential buildings are working efficiently.

v It allows local jurisdictions, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, to retain their stricter existing green building standards, or adopt more stringent versions of the state code if they choose.

“California should be proud… These are simple, cost-effective green practices. …” notes Tom Sheehy, acting secretary of the state Consumer Services Agency and chair of the California Building Standards Commission, which approved the standards. “This is (something) no other state in the country has done - integrating green construction practices into the very fabric of the construction code.”

While California’s largest metropolitan areas have adopted their own green building standards, these new regulations will be particularly useful for smaller jurisdictions that have been unable to develop their own green construction guidelines.

This is a positive alternative to LEED construction standards. Sites Sandra Boyle, an executive vice president of Glenborough, a developer, “The cost for owners to go through this rating system is astronomical — in a very challenging commercial real estate market.”

“You will have a whole bunch of cities that never would have included this in their building doing it, and doing it in a way that won’t kill the economy,” observes Matthew Hargrove, a vice president with the California Business Properties Association. “Outside the coastal areas it will be helpful - like in West Sacramento, where they looked into creating a green building code but balked because it’s cumbersome to develop and they didn’t have the resources.”

Buildings currently account for about one-quarter of the state’s total greenhouse gas emissions. These new standards are applauded as an important step in helping California meet its goal in reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2020.

**

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2010/01/13/MNDR1BH9SA.DTL#ixzz0dJ9grkaW

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2010/01/13/MNDR1BH9SA.DTL

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-green-building11-2010jan11,0,1841989.story <!– /* Font

http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/WA/Kohler-DualFlush-BR08-lg.jpg

MALIBU GOES GREEN UNDER PRESSURE

MALIBU GOES GREEN UNDER PRESSURE

By Jodi Summers

Malibu should be ashamed of itself, acting like conservation is not for the wealthy. Santa Monica has been heavily into the green movement for years – aiming to become a net zero city, Our mother city, Los Angeles, is very motivated to become one of the greenest cities. Meantime the gilded village of Malibu is only turning green because of upcoming deadlines for compliance with state-mandated sustainable development standards.

Under pressure by state mandates, Malibu is finally getting around to developing a sustainable development program. This comes more than a year after the City of L.A.’s green building ordinance to reduce the City’s carbon emissions by more than 80,000 tons by 2012. Motivated only by state regulation, Malibu is planning to require larger projects to be LEED certified. Money is green; Malibu will get the hang of it.

Grudgingly, in late summer, Malibu began to comply with mandated standards addressing water use for landscape irrigation. Additionally the fabled city on PCH will comply with other statewide requirements, such as weather-proofing, formaldehyde content in wood products, air conditioning refrigerants, and outside air ventilation, not to mention finally getting collection areas for recyclables. (Hello! If that’s an issue for you guys, just bring in some homeless, and they’ll recycle for you.)

As Malibu has been so late to get on board the green bandwagon, the city is panicking about meeting residential construction standards effective Jan. 1, 2011, benchmarks that are already in place in neighboring Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Los Angeles.

The January 2011 requirements call for sediment and runoff protection from construction sites; diversion of at least 50% of construction waste; low or no use of volatile organic compounds such as indoor adhesives, paints and coatings; low formaldehyde indoor finish materials.

Looking further forward, as of July 1, 2011, residential construction projects will be required to be more water efficient – insisting on a 20 percent reduction in indoor water use.

Not to be berated for being totally arrogant and antiquated, Malibu does already have mandates in place for water conservation landscaping – though some city residents are insisting that is not enforced.

“I think our biggest problem is water in Malibu,” planning Commissioner Regan Schaar noted, more than a year after Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a statewide drought. “The issue of people submitting plans [development applications] without any landscaping plans is a way for them to get around the issue. We need to put landscaping plans in place and make sure they’re low water usage.”

Malibu has been an ostrich, hiding its proverbial head in the sand while other local cities have been proactive on conservation measures. Lifestyles of the rich and infamous.

**

http://www.malibutimes.com/articles/2009/06/10/news/news3.txt

http://pleinlesyeux2.ifrance.com/ocean/inside%20out,%20baja%20malibu.jpg

http://www.socalgreenrealestateblog.com/?p=75

http://www.north-cyprus-properties.com/places/malibu-beach/photos/Malibu-Beach-(01).jpg

http://www.triyoga.com/Galleries/images/malibu_point1.jpg

http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/835/images/malibu_sportfishing_pier_sign.jpg

http://www.beaumondevillas.com/images/cities-malibu.jpg

http://www.imagekandi.com/photo/images/Malibu-Beach-Houses.jpg

http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/california/images/s/malibu-beaches.jpg

http://www.city-data.com/picfilesv/picv7812.php

http://pics2.city-data.com/city/maps/fr2937.png

YALE PICKS THE TEN MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY COUNTRIES

ALE PICKS THE TEN MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY COUNTRIES

Edited by Jodi Summers

Every year, Yale University releases an Environmental Performance Index (EPI), calculating national environmental factors such as a country’s environmental health, air pollution, water resources and productive natural resources. So let us present to you the most recent top 10 winning countries who can boast the title of the most eco-friendly nations in the world.

1 - Switzerland

Switzerland’s hard-line legislation on pollution makes it one of the world’s most eco-friendly nations. Switzerland’s strategy is to continue to foster cooperation between organizations and individuals. To make sure everyone is acutely aware of how precious the environment can be, Switzerland charges for their water and waste management services as well as establishing severe environmental taxes. Prevention is the third key tenet, shown by the 2006 development of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), to sustain natural resources and develop safety measures for natural hazards.

2 - Norway

Overcast Norway is the home of the world’s largest solar production plant, owned by REC Group. Norway has also taken emissions seriously, and is now planning on becoming carbon neutral by 2030, not 2050 as originally expected. The change in anticipated timing has been reduced because of what Norway has learned by funding green projects abroad and reducing at-home driving and flying.

3 - Sweden

Sweden’s mandate for a country free of fossil fuels by 2020 puts it as the third most eco-friendly country on the planet. Already, a majority of Sweden’s power is either nuclear or hydroelectric. Solutions for automobile and flight transport include ethanol and animal waste conversion. Additionally, Sweden is one of the world leaders working on harnessing the power of waves. At the University of Uppsala, Sweden is developing “wave power” which converts waves into 4x as much energy as solar power in the same amount of time, with no waste and no emissions.

4 - Finland

Finland is experiencing a remarkable recovery from industrialization, using initiatives to clean up water and air quality in industrial areas, and practicing land preservation. Bravo as Finland has managed to reverse deforestation. The country’s forests are now growing at a greater rate than they are being deforested, showing an environmental gain even with the annual timber harvest. Finland can also be attributed with starting the United Nation’s Environmental Program (UNEP) Task Force for Sustainable Building and Construction, which looks not only at the sustainability of the building, but of the resources and process used to construct it.

5 - Costa Rica

With 5% of the world’s biodiversity contained in one country, Costa Rica has always been on the forefront of environmental conservation. Did you know that a full quarter of the nation is devoted to park preservation? That helps the country score high on the EPI list. Couple their conservation efforts with the fact that Costa Rica uses hydroelectric power in 80% of the country, and add on their 5% gas tax which funds environmental programs, and Costa Rica comes in fifth.

6 - Austria

It’s very impressive that Austria’s environmental conservation measures are enforced by all levels of government, from federal to municipal authorities. For example, waste disposal is a highly regulated department encompassing everything from individual waste to corporate chemical, air and agricultural pesticide pollution. Water quality and forest preservation, are extremely high on Austria’s list of priorities, thus the quality level for Austria’s lakes and rivers is among the highest in the world. The development of Austria’s National Protective Forest Plan has also helped in keeping the nation’s natural beauty pristine.

7 - New Zealand

New Zealand‘s relatively small population in relation to land mass has helped preserve this nation’s natural resources. While automotive emissions and industrial pollutants are still problematic, New Zealand is working hard to develop restrictive legislation and alternative energy sources. The nation was host to the 2008 World Environment Day, and has developed the Environmental Risk Management Authority, which regulates the introduction of non-native species and environmental components so as not to threaten New Zealand’s pristine atmosphere.

8 - Latvia

The Baltics weigh in. By monitoring and reducing water pollution, Latvia’s salmon crop and freshwater bodies are all in the range of “good.” Taken steps toward improvement, Lativia has begun dismantling pollutive farms to reduce fertilizer and insecticide chemicals and allow room for the return of natural forests. Since obtaining freedom from the Soviet Union 1990, Lativa has decreased stationary pollution by 46% and wastewater by 44%, devoting a major portion of environmental funds to water treatment and energy conservation techniques.

9 - Colombia

Beating Costa Rica, Colombia is home to 10% of the world’s species, giving the country a wealth of ecological diversity. While Colombia has had problems in the past concerning deforestation, the detrimental effects of the coca trade, and political strife involving their natural oil deposits, these factors have served to motivate Colombia towards energy conservation and new, less politically tumultuous resources. Colombia has also begun programs for the cultivation of natural parks that support the growth of native medicinal plants with preserves such as the Orito Igni-Ande Medicinal Flora Sanctuary, a 10,626 hectare preserve.

10 - France

The French government is very aware of the problem of climate change. Their strict environmental protection measures are incorporated into the national Constitution and reviewed every year with the eventual goal of 54 million tons of saved C02 by 2010. France is one of the few in the Kyoto agreement to cut such a large amount of emissions so quickly. The country’s laws are comprehensive, covering every layer of production from supplier to producer to consumer. This has helped make France the number one producer of renewable energy sources in the EU, 78% of its energy being nuclear powered, which in turn has reduced nitrogen oxide and other hazardous emissions by 70%.

**

Sources:

http://epi.yale.edu/Home

http://epi.yale.edu/CountryScores

http://www.bemoreeco.com/2009/03/top-10-eco-friendly-countries/

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/International/europe/Sweden.jpg

http://greenferret.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/switzerland-mountain-lake.jpg

http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/tag/norway

http://www.ippnw-students.org/Chapters/Finland/finland.jpg

http://www.unitedplanet.org/volunteer-in-costa-rica-long-term/images/costa-rica-ocean-view.jpg

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0510/photos/Jpegs/NewZealand.jpg

http://www.austria-trips.com/images/Austria-Mountains.jpg

http://www.e-architect.co.uk/riga/jpgs/jurmala_latvia_hoskins_m06.jpg

http://img5.travelblog.org/Photos/61720/335583/p/f/1781.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/2qncqxi.jpg

http://www.bargesinfrance.com/premier-burgundy-countryside.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/2352156385_c389b09b15_b.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/pj48/image/45644972/original.jpg

LIVE GREEN –> IDEAS TO GREEN YOUR PROPERTIES

Edited by Jodi Summers

1. Double-Paned Windows

According to the Department of Energy, the typical U.S. family spends $1,300 a year on home energy bills. Double-paned windows are up to 40 percent more energy-efficient than standard windows, and allow you to save from 10 to 25 percent off your heating or cooling bill, on top of saving five tons of carbon dioxide emissions per household per year.

2. Caulking and Storm Panels

Double-paned windows are expensive, and it could take decades for their savings to counterbalance their cost. To improve insulation without switching windows, seal up any leaks or gaps around doors and windows with caulking and weather stripping, then add a storm panel to your single-pane window to increase energy efficiency for far less money than double-paned windows.

3. Plant Trees

On top of soaking up carbon dioxide, trees that surround your house can provide hading in the summertime, keeping your property cooler and requiring less energy-intensive air conditioning.

4. Swap Your A/C for a Ceiling Fan

Ceiling fans are remarkably effective in cooling and use far less energy than air conditioning. If you still need a little A/C, consider running it on low, and using ceiling fans to effectively circulate the cool air.

5. Get Your Ducts in a Row

Faulty duct work can cause serious, life-threatening carbon monoxide problems in the home. Check your ducts for air leaks. Look for sections that should be joined but have separated, and then look for obvious holes. If you use tape to seal your ducts, experts suggest using mastic, butyl tape, foil tape, or other heat-approved tapes (look for tape with the Underwriters Laboratories logo). A well-sealed vapor barrier on the outside of the insulation on cooling ducts prevents moisture buildup.

6. Be Reasonable with the Thermostat

No reason to be uncomfortable in your home to save energy or reduce emissions, but try to keep it as warm as you can stand it in the summer, and turn it down to 68 or below in the winter.

7. Change Your Bulbs

Electricity is the largest source of U.S. carbon emissions, using about 38 percent. A switch to compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can reduce emissions and energy use drastically. Keep in mind, CFLs still contain mercury; LEDs are considered the best bet.

8. Turn Off and Unplug

Research conducted by the DOE shows that in the average American home, 75 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. Unplugging seldom used appliances could shave up to $10 off your monthly electricity bill.

9. Reach for the Energy Stars

There’s an ENERGY STAR version of almost every appliance these days from a computer to a refridgerator. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), by choosing their ENERGY STAR-qualified products, consumers can cut energy use by 30 percent, a savings of about $450 each year.

10. Switch to Solar or Wind Power Without Buying Your Own System

According to the DOE, at least 50 percent of customers have the option to purchase renewable electricity directly from their power supplier. Such power is sometimes referred to as “green power” or “clean power,” and costs an average of $1.25/month extra.

11. Shower Efficiently

With our new tiered water rates, it’s wise to be conscious about how much time, and water, you’re spending in the shower. A one- or two-minute reduction in shower time can save up to 700 gallons of water per month.

12. Use the Cold Water

If your shower takes awhile to heat up, catch the cold water in a bucket and use it to water your garden or lawn.

13. Go Native

Using native plants in landscaping can reduce residential water use by 20 to 50 percent.

14. Green Paints, Materials, and Accessories

According to the California Air Resources Board, indoor air quality in the state is worse than outdoor air quality, thanks to the toxins in paint, wood finishes, carpet, adhesives, and solvents. Air quality in new and recently renovated homes can be up to 10 times more polluted than outdoor air quality. To cut down on indoor toxins, opt for Green Seal certified paints and solvent-free adhesives.

15. Displace Water

Put a plastic bottle or a plastic bag weighted with pebbles and filled with water in your toilet tank. Displacing water in this manner saves five to 10 gallons of water a day. That’s up to 300 gallons a month, even more for large families.

16. Seal Your House

Visit the DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy site for a printable home energy audit, check your home for cracks, and have adequate installation installed.

28. Keep Your Garden Green

It might surprise you to learn that homeowners actually use 10 times more pesticides and fertilizers per acre than farmers, on average; 67 million pounds of the stuff are applied on lawns each year. Opt for native plants, safer pesticides, and compost for fertilizer instead.

www.realtor.com

www.dinnergarden.org/victoryGardens.html

March for Water

TWO BUTTON TOILETS

TWO BUTTON TOILETS

by Jodi Summers

Americans traveling abroad are sometimes surprised to discover two buttons
on toilet –one for a small flush; the other for a full flush. This is a
great water-conservation option developed in the 1980s that is only recently
finding its way to North America. Using only the water you need to discharge
waste makes great environmental sense.

A study by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. found that flushing the toilet accounts for approximately 30% of total residential indoor water use. The study showed that dual-flush toilets reduce volume by 68% percent in single-family homes, and that  85% of users rated them either “good” or “satisfactory” for appearance, clearing solids and clearing liquids.

http://go-to.realtor.org/r/XTDRUV/ZBFIU/G2F8R/P187C/YO8TD/CM/h

Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board Proposes New Fees and Restrictions on Land

Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board Proposes New Fees and Restrictions on Land

The Regional Water Quality Control Board Los Angeles Region, which governs stream in LA and Ventura Counties, is renewing the Urban Storm Water Permit for Ventura County that will be replicated in 2009 in Los Angeles County permits. The Environmental Protection agency has indicated that they want consistency in permits across all southern California Counties. This permit contains significant new controls for how renovation, construction and development occur, in addition to numerous restrictions on the cities in Ventura County. For example, the permit:

• Restricted grading on any slope more than 20% for 6 ½ months out of the year.
• Contains low impact development requirements that will make infill and redevelopment more difficult.
• Will force storm water systems to be implemented on individual lots, which dedicates portions of homeowners’ yards to storm water management and prevents them from using that space for other purposes, such as a patio or a pool.
• Will cost $600 per household with per door for multifamily to implement.

For more detailed information please visit http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/losangeles/water_issues/programs/stormwater

For more info on the Action Apartment Association, please visit www.action-wam.com

The letter from the City titled - NOTICE OF PROPOSED WATER AND WASTEWATER RATE INCREASES -

The letter from the City titled - NOTICE OF PROPOSED WATER AND WASTEWATER RATE INCREASES - must have made you really happy when you got it in the mailр but those in the know, saw this coming months ago though it went public in the spring

Calif. Water Supply Crisis Affecting Economy

With deep cuts in water deliveries ordered this year to help protect a threatened fish species, the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) said impacts are beginning to ripple across the state and will likely continue until action is taken to improve the sustainability of the state’s water supply system.

“For the first time in a long time, California is losing income and jobs because our water supply system is in crisis,” ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn said. “Every day that goes by without a solution is another day of environmental deterioration and lost water supply. “ACWA member agencies report that court-ordered restrictions on water deliveries through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta are creating drought-like conditions despite the fact that snowpack levels were near normal in February 2008. Runoff from the mountain snowpack is expected to be below average due to dry soil conditions and warm temperatures that evaporated some of the water content in March.

Agencies stand to receive just 35 percent of their requested water deliveries from the State Water Project (SWP), forcing many to dip into dry-year reserves and seek out expensive alternative supply sources where possible. In some cases, reserves already are low following a string of dry years and a 10-day shutdown of the SWP pumps last summer to protect the Delta smelt.

This has impacted Southern California, causing the state’s largest water wholesaler, our local Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, to propose increased water rates by 14 percent next year due in part to the cost of acquiring water to off-set reduced SWP supplies.

This rate increases will affect millions of households in Southern California.

Knowing this was coming down, in March, Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors approved a $1.98 billion spending plan for 2008-09 in order to maintain reliable imported water supplies for more than 18 million Southern Californians.

The board also approved a 9.8 percent increase in the district’s base wholesale water rate as well as a special surcharge to purchase additional supplies. Those supplies are needed to help compensate for a loss of up to 30 percent of the Southland’s supplies from Northern California because of court-imposed pumping restrictions due to endangered species like the Delta smelt.

Trickling down the bureaucracy pipeline, this increase will come to us looking like some version of this:

NOTICE OF PROPOSED WATER AND WASTEWATER RATE INCREASES

The City of Santa Monica has issued water and wastewater rate increases for a five year period beginning August 1, 2008. The proposed rate increase will provide funding for local and imported water, operation and maintenance, capital infrastructure costs, financial commitments to the City of Los Angeles for wastewater disposal, and appropriate reserve levels.

The city Council will hold a public hearing on this matter on July 8, 2008 at 5:45 p.m. In the City Council Chambers, 1685 Main St, room 213, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Written protests to the proposed rate increases may be submitted at the public hearing, or given to the City Clerk 1685 Main St, room 102, Santa Monica, CA 90401 in sufficient time to be received before the hearing. Please include the parcel address and number and write Water and Wastewater Rate Increase on your written protest.

The new structures will be based on commodity only thereby eliminating the bi-monthly service charges.

The Metropolitan Water District’s rate adjustment and supply surcharge amounts to a 14.3 percent overall increase in the cost of Metropolitan’s wholesale supplies to the district’s public agencies. The effect on Southland consumers will depend on how much of Metropolitan’s imported water is purchased by their local water agency to augment supplies, such as groundwater. For the average household, the total rate increase equates to about $1.50 per month.

Never let it be said that Santa Monica isn’t ahead of the curve.

Under the board action, raw water purchased and delivered under Metropolitan’s full-service, tier one rate will be $412 per acre-foot, while drinking water treated at the district’s regional filtration plants will cost $579 per acre-foot. Metropolitan’s full-service, tier two untreated rate will be $528 per acre-foot, and treated tier two water will increase to $695 per acre-foot. The difference between the basic upper and lower tier rates reflects Metropolitan’s cost for acquiring new supplies.

In response to our growing water shortage in Southern California, Mayor Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced plans to recycle Los Angeles’ sewage water to replenish drinking water qualifiers.

Faced with a persistent drought and the threat of tighter water supplies, the Los Angeles plan is to use heavily cleansed sewage to increase drinking water supplies, joining a growing number of cities considering similar measures.

Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, who opposed such a plan a decade ago over safety concerns, announced the proposal as part of a package of initiatives to put the city, the nation’s second largest, on a stricter water budget. The other plans include increasing fines for watering lawns during restricted times, tapping into and cleaning more groundwater, and encouraging businesses and residents to use more efficient sprinklers and plumbing fixtures.

The move comes as California braces for the possibility of the most severe water shortages in decades.

More info @ water.smgov.net

http://www.wwn-online.com/articles/60061/

http://www.wwn-online.com/articles/61097/

http://www.planetizen.com/node/31250

mid American paleontological society

GOV. SCHWARZENEGGAR MAKES THE CALIFORNIA DROUGHT OFFICIAL

GOV. SCHWARZENEGGAR MAKES THE CALIFORNIA DROUGHT OFFICIAL

SACRAMENTO, California (AP) � Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a statewide drought after two years of below-average rainfall, low snow-melt runoff and a court-ordered restriction on water transfers.

��We must recognize the severity of the crisis that we face,� the Governor noted, signing an executive order directing the state�s response to unusually dry conditions that are damaging crops, harming water quality and causing extreme fire danger across California.
��Schwarzenegger warned that residents and water managers must immediately cut their water use or face the possibility of rationing next year if there is another dry winter. Already, many communities require water conservation or rationing.
�