Guest Opinion
Local water supplies are threatened
By Janna Orkney

Do we really have to think about where the water comes from in our community? The answer is yes. During all these years of living in the Conejo Valley I have been blithely turning on the faucet thinking there was an endless supply of water at the other end, and that it came from somewhere nearby.

Well, those days are over. Since being elected to the Triunfo Sanitation Board last November I have had the opportunity and blessing of learning more about this precious resource. I learned that depending on our water district, most or all of our potable, or drinking water comes from hundreds of miles north of us from the Sacramento Delta. Now that is a problem.

A judge just issued a verbal ruling that the smelt (fish) in Delta waters must be protected, and that pumping water to Southern California through the State Water Project harms the smelt population at certain times of the year. The predicted outcome of this ruling is that soon we will be receiving 30 percent less water from this source than we are now. We will know more when the written ruling is released, probably at the end of October.

Obviously, whether it is 30 percent less water, or 25 percent, it will be a substantial reduction for us. Now is the time to think about reducing our water use, but how?

For those of us with a yard, we can follow the rule of thumb that 50 to 70 percent of homeowner's water usage goes to irrigation, especially to lawns. We can ask if we are watering too frequently, or too long. Do we change our watering patterns for the season, or for the weather?

An excellent resource is the website www.BeWaterWise.com from the Metropolitan Water District. The site offers a "watering calculator." You just put in your ZIP code, where you are watering, what kind of soil, answer a few more questions and the site comes up with a watering schedule. For instance, the recommendation I received suggested more frequent watering of much shorter duration, meaning I would be using less water.

Having to look at my own water consumption habits has proved beneficial. I find myself aware of how lucky I am to have clean water available at the turning of a faucet handle, when much of the world does not. While it will take some work to reduce my water use, it is doable.

One thing is for sure. Water will no longer be a taken-for-granted resource in Southern California.

Janna Orkney is the chairperson for the Triunfo Sanitation District, which provides potable and wastewater services to Oak Park and portions of Thousand Oaks, including North Ranch and Lake Sherwood.