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In blow to water conservation, court rejects San Juan Capistrano's tiered rates
latimes.com ^ | Matt Stevens

Posted on 04/20/2015 6:51:40 PM PDT by BenLurkin

In a ruling with major implications for California's water conservation campaign, a state appeals court on Monday ruled that a tiered water rate structure used by the city of San Juan Capistrano to encourage conservation was unconstitutional..

The Orange County city used a rate structure that charged customers who used small amounts of water a lower rate than customers who used larger amounts.

But the 4th District Court of Appeal struck down San Juan Capistrano's fee plan, saying it violated voter-approved Proposition 218, which prohibits government agencies from charging more for a service than it costs to provide it.

"We do hold that above-cost-of-service pricing for tiers of water service is not allowed by Proposition 218 and in this case, [the city] did not carry its burden of proving its higher tiers reflected its costs of service," the court said in its ruling.

The stakes are high because at least two-thirds of California water providers, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, use some form of the tiered rate system.

Gov. Jerry Brown immediately lashed out at the decision, saying it puts "a straitjacket on local government at a time when maximum flexibility is needed. My policy is and will continue to be: employ every method possible to ensure water is conserved across California.”

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: US: California
KEYWORDS: california; water
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To: BenLurkin

So Fairy Brown was upset? Big D!


21 posted on 04/20/2015 7:53:27 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (The question, Jeb Bush? The answer: NO! Rove, is a devious propagandist & enemy of Conservatives!)
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To: PA Engineer

I can use the meter but I just haven’t gotten around to doing it.

I did look at a few monthly water bills and my usage was running between about 30 gallons and 38 gallons for the months, per day.

If I get in the mood to make this a game I will see what I can do with it. A problem is that I don’t want to install a urinal at this address, and can’t really afford to buy a waterless one and a 1.28 gallon toilet, at this time.

Still, if these threads keep popping up, maybe I will see what I can get my water usage down to.


22 posted on 04/20/2015 7:55:32 PM PDT by ansel12 (libertarianism's social liberalism, makes conservative limited government, & low taxes impossible.)
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To: Enterprise

It was a lot more than that. Local governments were demanding that developers turn over 5-10% of any property they intended to develop as fees for various things. The state government was going overboard with excessive fees too.


23 posted on 04/20/2015 8:02:53 PM PDT by Thud
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To: BenLurkin

I was talking to a liberal neighbor of mine who knows I’m conservative, and we both agreed that runoff and sewage should be recycled instead of just treating it preliminarily and pumping it out to sea.

The technologies are already in place for this. With some rerouting of drainage systems it seems very doable despite the “ich” factor which appears to be the main political obstacle.


24 posted on 04/20/2015 8:10:14 PM PDT by onedoug
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To: Thud

This ruling makes entirely too much sense.Liberal heads are exploding.


25 posted on 04/20/2015 8:18:07 PM PDT by Baltimore ken (Baltimore Ken)
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To: ansel12
One of the things they recommended was a urinal

I fixed it. I just go pee in the back yard at 5:00am.

Its my contribution to being green....uh yellow...uh green.... whatever.

26 posted on 04/20/2015 8:24:28 PM PDT by super7man (Oh why did I post that, now I'll never be able to run for Congress.)
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To: super7man

At my beach shack before this address, I did make a homemade urinal outside on the side of the shack, with water to it for flushing, and connected it to the sewer.

It was so the guys could use it during BBQs while the females had the inside toilet.

I found it quite useful.


27 posted on 04/20/2015 8:31:41 PM PDT by ansel12 (libertarianism's social liberalism, makes conservative limited government, & low taxes impossible.)
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To: onedoug
we both agreed that runoff and sewage should be recycled instead of just treating it preliminarily and pumping it out to sea.

You may be surprised at how much this is already being done.

The Orange County (Calif) WWTP has been pumping discharge into the ground to replenish the aquifer for over ten years.

We are talking about millions of gallons per day.

'Water Reuse' is big in Calif., Arizona, and other states.

28 posted on 04/20/2015 8:32:04 PM PDT by Michael.SF. (If Hillary was running against Satan, I'd probably abstain.)
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To: Thud
Thank you.

BUMP!!!!!!

29 posted on 04/20/2015 8:33:41 PM PDT by Enterprise ("Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." Voltaire)
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To: ansel12
Still, if these threads keep popping up, maybe I will see what I can get my water usage down to.

I was surprised how much water our old washer used. I remember hearing the pressure tank relay switching regularly during the loads and finally clocked it. The new washers are pretty amazing and that includes the agitator less top loaders. The spin cycle sounds like a jet taking off and substantially reduces drying times.

My reasoning was also to ease up on the septic system, and get my daily water and laundry electrical load to under 1KW.

For showers I installed 5 Minute Shower Timer / Shower Clocks (don't know why the reviews are so bad). I also changed out the heads with Delta 75152 Adjustable Water-Amplifying® showerhead with H2Okinetic® Technology, Chrome. Our well cycles from 25 to 50PSI, so we are averaging about 7.5 gallons per shower. Could make it shorter with soak, lather and rinse in a worst case situation.

These changes have brought us down from 50 gallons a day to about 25 per person without sacrifice.

Mine is more for prepper reasons and not the result of failed state government policies.
30 posted on 04/20/2015 8:39:00 PM PDT by PA Engineer (Liberate America from the Occupation Media.)
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To: Michael.SF.

With some degree of treatment, I trust. Otherwise, it’s going to be pretty darned sludgy. They do this with raw sewage?


31 posted on 04/20/2015 8:46:44 PM PDT by onedoug
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To: PA Engineer

That is interesting, have you thought of rigging up some homemade gray water, or is your place too tidy for that kind of jury rigging?


32 posted on 04/20/2015 8:53:36 PM PDT by ansel12 (libertarianism's social liberalism, makes conservative limited government, & low taxes impossible.)
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To: onedoug
WWTP = Waste Water Treatment plant.

Yes, the water is actually can be fit for consumption upon discharge from the plant (depending on the plant). It just sounds revolting.

The wizards in OC actually coined a marketing phrase: "Toilet to tap"

It did not sell well.

33 posted on 04/20/2015 8:54:23 PM PDT by Michael.SF. (If Hillary was running against Satan, I'd probably abstain.)
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To: ansel12
That is interesting, have you thought of rigging up some homemade gray water, or is your place too tidy for that kind of jury rigging?

I'm on a ridge in the country and have multiple sources. I do have a spring 50 feet up on the ridge, and am piping that down this year. I think I also (finally) have a design for a water diverter off of my greenhouse glass. The lower greenhouse level has a 2200 gallon swim spa I plan to rig with a gate valve and separate pressure pump. We also have a high quality stream in the valley. I thought of a ram pump, but I figure I'm pretty much covered for the garden with the spring and the house with the greenhouse collector.

We only had one summer of moderate drought since we lived here. Normally, our problem (and many homes here) is too much water.
34 posted on 04/20/2015 9:50:42 PM PDT by PA Engineer (Liberate America from the Occupation Media.)
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To: PA Engineer

I meant redirecting your washing machine water to some safe area on the ground, to take a load off of your septic tank.


35 posted on 04/20/2015 10:00:51 PM PDT by ansel12 (libertarianism's social liberalism, makes conservative limited government, & low taxes impossible.)
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To: onedoug

I live in Orange County.

The Sewage is treated to a degree. All solids are removed and the Treated Water is actually used to Irrigate the Fauna in nearly all the Public Greenbelts, including Plants and Trees along the local Highway Medians.

Water not needed for Irrigation is pumped into the Aquifer.

If there is a Purple Reclaimed Water sign, it’s not a good idea to sip the Water from the Sprinklers.


36 posted on 04/20/2015 10:21:33 PM PDT by Kickass Conservative (Hillary, because it's time for a POTUS without a SCROTUS...)
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To: Kickass Conservative
If there is a Purple Reclaimed Water sign, it’s not a good idea to sip the Water from the Sprinklers.

A buddy and I got stranded in a village in Mexico for about 10 days, sleeping sitting up in his little 2 seater Fiat Spider. We frequently drank water from a hose about 20 feet from the car, but on our last day there, an English speaker told us that the water from that hose was not for drinking, I think the problem was that it was not fully treated, but I'm not sure. I never got sick from being in Mexico,

37 posted on 04/20/2015 10:40:33 PM PDT by ansel12 (libertarianism's social liberalism, makes conservative limited government, & low taxes impossible.)
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To: ansel12
I meant redirecting your washing machine water to some safe area on the ground, to take a load off of your septic tank.

Were good with that. We have two five hundred gallon tanks. Winter would create a problem. We were below freezing for 90+ days this winter.
38 posted on 04/20/2015 10:41:26 PM PDT by PA Engineer (Liberate America from the Occupation Media.)
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To: ansel12

You drank bad water and you were driving around in a Fiat and you’re here to tell the Tale?

I’m not sure, but I think you had better go buy a Powerball Ticket. It might just work out for you. LOL


39 posted on 04/20/2015 10:54:17 PM PDT by Kickass Conservative (Hillary, because it's time for a POTUS without a SCROTUS...)
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To: Kickass Conservative

Actually it wasn’t a village, it was two bars across the road from each other, with some kind of a small rivalry between them.

I also made a very lucky guess at that place that may have saved me some great trouble, back then I used to arm wrestle for drinks and cash, and when I was doing it on a Saturday night at one of the bars and beating all of the studs, they all wanted me to take on a burly older man.

Even though I was well into my cups and really into the pumped up crowd, something about the guy made me think that I should put on a show to make him look good, and let him win, that really goes against my type, but I did it, in an epic battle, I almost beat him but slowly let him get the better of me, in a show that had the studs all cheering him as the one guy who could beat me.

It turned out he was a retired federal cop, not only was he so happy with me that he took us to his home and fed us and was extremely friendly the rest of the time we were there (which gave me prestige), near the end of our stay, two uniformed federal cops showed up and were so scary, and studying my friend and I so hard and with such cold eyes, that we did our best to avoid them the entire evening that they were there although we kept an eye on them, my take on the evening was that my gut feeling to throw that arm wrestling match, saved us from something very bad, because the retired cop who they were visiting protected us.


40 posted on 04/20/2015 11:13:19 PM PDT by ansel12 (LEGAL immigrants, 30 million 1980-2012, continues to remake the nation's electorate for democrats)
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