Facing mandatory water reduction targets of 16 percent in its Dominguez water system, California Water Service (Cal Water) opted to work with the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) to achieve an alternate compliance order for major industrial customers dependent on “process water,” the water needed to manufacture products. Cal Water’s residential customers exceeded the 16 percent target by reducing their water use by 23 percent in June and 20 percent in July 2015 compared to the same months in 2013. However, non-residential customers account for approximately 70 percent of the system’s total water use, and many cannot achieve the target reductions without negatively impacting their production levels.
“We are pleased that, after months of thorough and thoughtful dialogue, the State Water Board agrees that an alternate means of compliance for our Dominguez system is necessary to prevent a significant and negative impact to the economy, both local and nationwide, due to our industrial customers’ process water needs,” noted Cal Water President and CEO Martin A. Kropelnicki in a recent press release.
To comply with the alternate compliance order, Cal Water will complete water-use efficiency evaluations for its commercial, industrial and institutional (CII) customers this fall and increase outreach efforts. Cal Water also will allocate resources to implement a comprehensive reduction program for its CII customers.
In addition, Cal Water continues to expand its water conservation program, including turf replacement rebates expected to save 24 gallons of water each year per square foot of turf replaced in the Dominguez system. The high-efficiency toilet delivery program is projected to save up to 8,768 gallons of water per toilet per year for single-family residential customers and up to 11,782 gallons per toilet per year for multi-family residential customers. Rebates also are available for high-efficiency toilets, clothes washers, irrigation controllers and other devices for both residential and nonresidential customers as well as free conservation kits with high-efficiency plumbing retrofit devices and water-use efficiency evaluations for residential customers. By taking part in the water conservation program, Cal Water’s customers saved 163 million gallons of water in 2014.
“Our residential customers in Dominguez continue to exceed the state’s water use reduction requirements, and we are glad the Board recognizes their efforts,” added Kropelnicki in the press release. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to water conservation and will continue to aggressively work to reduce water use locally among our non-residential customers in other ways.”
