Opinion
Take a conservation challenge
Water.
Most of us take it for granted every day. Bleary-eyed in the morning, we roll out of bed and stump to the shower, where we stand in the waking waters trying not to mix up the soap with the shampoo.
We fill the coffee pot from the tap. Rinse out the cereal bowl and last night’s dishes before sliding them into the dishwasher and turning the appliance on to do the dirty work.
OUR VIEW |
Every time we flush or wash our hands, every bottle we consume throughout the day, water is seamlessly integrated with almost everything we do. Water is the foundation of life.
Each person uses 151 gallons of water per day, on average.
Think of the gallon jugs of milk at the grocery store. 151 gallons could be half a wall of milk.
That’s a lot of water.
And that’s just one person, per day.
Good thing water is an infinite resource, right? Turn on the faucet and no matter what, out it comes.
Sorry Charlie. No deal.
Even though we can look at a world map and see it covered in blue, even though we can stand at our doorsteps with the ocean spread out before us, water is our most precious and limited resource.
Every one needs to work a little bit harder to conserve water —especially us, Southern Californians.
Greedy Southern California, thinking we can have sparkling green lawns and rolling golf courses in the middle of a desert. That we cannot cover our swimming pools, allowing the water to easily evaporate, and then refill the pool to repeat the process.
The ocean breezes make it easy to forget that we live in a very arid, drought-prevalent environment. Because of this climate, San Diego must import the vast majority of its water from outside sources.
But the Colorado River, which supplies about 50 percent of our water, is in its eight year of drought. And the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which supplies about 40 percent, has just experienced one of the greatest curtailments in state history. A court ruling to limit the amount of water pumped out of the delta, to protect an important, endangered fish, could result in up to a 30 percent loss of water to the Southern California region.
This is a very serious situation. Mandatory restrictions are already being imposed on the agricultural industry, and we’re next in line.
While the water community is working on diversifying water sources, the most effective first step towards a sustainable solution is conservation.
Young, old, rich, poor – it doesn’t matter, every person can conserve.
Here’s how
Outdoor watering uses over 60 percent of our resources, and is where the biggest savings can be achieved. The San Diego County Water Authority recommends these actions to conserve outside:
1. Water landscaping before 6 a.m. and after 8 p.m. to reduce evaporation. This will save 20 to 25 gallons per day.
2. Don’t overwater. Reduce each cycle by one to three minutes, or eliminate one day of watering. This will save 15 to 25 gallons per minute, and up to 250 gallons per cycle.
More suggestions include installing a water-efficient drip irrigation system, and replacing lawn with drought-tolerant plants. Head over to Solana Succulents or Cedros Gardens for an excellent selection and advice.
For indoor savings:
1. Turn off the water when rinsing dishes or brushing teeth. Save 2 gallons per minute.
2. Shorten showers. Save 2.5 gallons per minute.
3. Run the dishwasher or clothes washer only when full. Save from 2 to 50 gallons per load.
More suggestions include replacing old appliances and higher-volume toilets with newer, water-efficient ones.
The water authority is calling for every San Diegan to take the 20 Gallon Challenge. Save 20 gallons, per person, per day. Take the challenge. We can do it. We have to.
We can do this together. Send in your ideas to conserve water to: editor@delmartimes.net. For more information about the 20 gallon challenge and ways to conserve, go to www.sdcwa.org.
GUEST EDITORIAL |
Del Mar’s new city manager
is a unanimous choice
Karen P. Brust not only beat out 70 other applicants for the position of Del Mar City Manager, but also, she won the unanimous support of Del Mar’s mayor and City Council.
No small feat.
But then again, her remarkable achievement is more easily understandable when you consider her excellent experience, skills and attitude all equally important to a job as vital as that of our city manager. Add to that her most recent accolade: The San Diego Business Journal honored Karen as a finalist for CFO of the Year for San Diego, an award reflective of her leadership abilities and community service in the San Diego region.
Karen’s latest position was director of finance/treasurer for the San Diego County Water Authority, which serves 24 public agencies throughout the region and operates with a two-year budget of $1.48 billion, as well as a capital improvement program of $3.5 billion. In addition to directing the business and financial-planning areas of the Water Authority, Karen led a team of 18 employees and was responsible to a 14-member committee of the board of directors related to strategic planning, policy formulation, member agency collaboration and labor negotiations.
At the Water Authority, Karen spearheaded several organizational management initiatives, including work force planning, succession planning and human resources reorganization. She was a member of the water wholesaler’s information technology strategic policy board and the budget review board.
Prior to assuming her position with the San Diego County Water Authority in 1998, Karen served as director of finance for two California cities — Gardena and South Gate — over a period of seven years. Her previous professional experience also includes major financial responsibilities for two medium-to-large East Coast communities. In one of those communities — the coastal city of New London, Connecticut — Karen developed an innovative plan to revitalize the city-owned beach park.
Her extensive strategic-management experience is augmented by advanced education. Karen holds a Master of Science degree in organizational management, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in administrative science, from Central Connecticut State University. She has been a member of the International City/County Management Association since 1995. In 1998, she obtained her municipal financial leadership certification from the University of Southern California, and in 2004, she received her certified public finance officer certification from the Government Finance Officers’ Association.
Karen steps into some big shoes on October 1, 2007, when she takes over from Lauraine Brekke-Esparza as our city manager. We know she can do it. Her unanimous appointment reflects our confidence in her experience and skills, and our conviction in her ability to do the job our city requires.
I’m happy to forward your personal welcomes to Karen. Just send them to carl@carlhilliard.com and I’ll pass them on.
Letters to the Editor
Fairgrounds needs scrutiny
Your Aug. 31 article entitled “Roof Project Causes Concern” fails to ask the question of whether an enclosed arena at the Del Mar Fairgrounds is a desirable feature for the local communities.
Like many in Solana Beach and Del Mar, I enjoy the fair and race season, and accept the seasonal increase in traffic, noise and pressure this places on local infrastructure. However, when the 22nd DAA makes plans for a 78,000-sq. ft. enclosed arena that would seat 9,000 and be used year-round, I feel that it is essential to debate the benefits of such a venue versus whether year-round traffic, noise and increased sewer and storm-water demands are a good thing for our communities. Similarly, future plans for a condo-hotel and casino at the fairgrounds should also receive such scrutiny.
Tunnel sounds better and better
It seems any article regarding the Coast Boulevard train crossing should contain the number of people who have been killed at that crossing. Isn’t it seven in the last 30 years?
$18,000.00 for a consultants report? Why is a paid consultant who probably doesn’t live here required for such a basic problem? Any thinking citizen of Del Mar would be, for free, the equal or better than an out-of-town consultant. The best solution is not the near impossible moving of the trains to I-5. There is only one solution to the sound and safety problems and such construction would be relatively quiet as it would be underground. The solution? —A tunnel under historic old 101 in Del Mar.
Vergne for City Council
Your Aug. 31 interview with Pat Vergne covered the waterfront of his 28 years on the Del Mar beach but never asked, what next?
I have a suggestion, which I made to him in about his 23rd year when he wasn’t thinking about anything beyond his responsibilities as chief lifeguard and director of community services. But it seems to me that one of these years he might welcome a new and broader challenge, and that maybe the community should encourage him accordingly.
I think Pat Vergne belongs on the Del Mar City Council because he would bring to it a unique perspective and breath of honest, down-to-earth fresh air. He would have to be elected to one of the five seats, of course, but I submit he would be more electable than any candidate in recent memory.
All I want to say to him and the community at this point is: Think about it.
