How a local newspaper can help a community save water

VIC LEIPZIG AND LOU MURRAY

We are shaped by the time and place in which we grow up, as well as

by genetics and family environment. Although I was raised in Indiana,

in the conservative climate of the 1940s and 1950s, I truly came of

age in the late 1960s and early 1970s on the college campus of

Boulder, Colorado during a time of radical environmental awareness

and activism. Undoubtedly my studies in environmental biology shaped

my thinking. It made me acutely aware of the connection between

humans and the other ecosystem components of Earth.

Vic grew up literally next to the great Hetch Hetchy aqueduct.

When it was undergoing repairs one summer, he and his childhood

friends played inside the huge, 10-foot diameter pipe that brought

water from the mountains to San Francisco. It made Vic acutely aware

of the volume of water that must flow to keep a city alive. And that

leads us to our topic this week of attitudes toward water usage.

When I was living in Boulder, the sole water source was a

city-owned glacier. In the spring, the mountain snowpack melted and

filled the reservoir. We could drive into the mountains and see for

ourselves how much water was available for the upcoming year. In the

summer, fall and winter, the water level fell with usage. With the

snowmelt of spring, it filled up again.

The population of Boulder has tripled since then, and they were

forced long ago to import water from other parts of Colorado.

However, the glacier-fed mountain reservoir still provides much of

their water.

Colorado has been experiencing severe drought. On my recent visit

to Colorado, I discussed the water situation with my friends there.

During the 1990s, they averaged 24 inches of precipitation a year,

but over the past three years, they received only about 16 inches a

year. As a result, the city imposed strict water usage restrictions

on the residents last summer. The city’s goal was a 25% reduction in

water usage. Boulderites responded with enthusiasm and rose to the

challenge.

One of my friends in Boulder said that she saved water from every

shower and load of laundry last summer, ladling it out and hauling it

to her landscaping by the bucket load. She reduced their personal

household usage by nearly 50%. Fortunately for them, Colorado had a

major storm last March that dumped six to eight feet of snow and

filled the reservoirs. They are going into winter with reservoirs

that are still nearly full.

The part of their story that is most relevant to us is how the

city of Boulder involved the community in water conservation. Each

week, the city shared the water data with the media, and the local

newspaper printed water usage amounts. This showed the residents

immediately and graphically how well or poorly they were doing on

water conservation. When the college students returned in the fall,

per capita water usage skyrocketed. But when students saw the results

in the paper, they too instituted water conservation measures and

water usage fell again.

Being able to see the city’s water reservoirs made the people

acutely conscious of how much water was available. Here in Huntington

Beach, our reservoirs are hidden from sight. Our water is stored in

underground basins and in above-ground concrete tanks. We can’t see

the level. We have no idea how much we are using or how much is left.

Even the water stored upstream in Prado Dam is hidden from view as we

drive up the Riverside freeway. So we’re left in the dark about how

much water is available.

In Boulder, the newspapers were a major factor in encouraging

conservation measures. If the Water Division of the Public Works

Department here in town would like us to conserve water, and we know

they do, they might consider forming a partnership with the news

media as the city of Boulder did. The city needs to let us know how

we as a community are doing on water usage. Let us know if our

conservation measures are working. Involve us in a partnership to

conserve the water that we have.

Our newspaper can be a valuable tool in helping people in their

efforts to be good environmentalists and good water conservationists.

We ask the city of Huntington Beach to use that tool. Use the power

of the press to help us save water here at home.

* VIC LEIPZIG and LOU MURRAY are Huntington Beach residents and

environmentalists. They can be reached at vicleipzig@aol.com.