Fresno Tries to Conserve Water

The Urban Water Management Plan outlines conservation goals for the city and offers ideas to attain those goals, such as lawn buy-backs. www.hedlundirrigation.com

Fresno, California officials are looking at ways to conserve water as the city grows. New ideas such as using drought tolerant plants, along with more traditional conservation methods, are part of an Urban Water Management Plan approved by the City Council in August.

The plan, which took several years to write, looks at current water usage in Fresno and predicts how growth will affect water resources through 2030, when the city’s population is expected to reach at least 760,000. A second plan – the Metropolitan Water Resources Management Plan – looks even further, forecasting Fresno’s water needs through 2060.

There is no penalty if the city doesn’t follow its plan. But water users will see higher bills if they choose to not conserve after meters are installed citywide by 2013. Unlike most California cities, Fresno does not charge for the volume of water used. An agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation however, requires the city to begin charging a metered rate by 2010.

Source: Denny Boyles, McClatchy Newspapers, www.bnd.com/living