California already has the strictest water rationing regulations in the country. Most people do their part with real effort, but conserving more is becoming evermore difficult. The state and local water agencies as well as governments need to face reality and start enacting policies and projects to INCREASE the amount of water going forward even in drought conditions. There are choices: more reservoirs (probably not viable politically given the environmental pressures in CA), desalinization plants (we have a HUGE water source called the Pacific ocean), water reuse for irrigation, ...We have a state budget surplus. Why not start using some of it to fund projects that actually INCREASE the water supply?

We have continued to follow water-saving practices since the last drought. We save “warm up” water in buckets and use it for watering outdoor plants. We take “navy showers” turning off the water while we shampoo or soap-up. We have put in artificial turf to conserve even more on outdoor watering. Water doesn’t run for tooth-brushing or hand-washing. HOW will we conserve more without giving up showering or cooking? And yet, we will be penalized with increased rates; and all this while people and businesses who can afford the increases continue to use more than their fair share of this precious resource. Rationing water, per person in a household, seems much more equitable. This doesn’t seem like an unreasonable or undoable work around.

PtownerSince94,

NIMBYs continue to resist any efforts to increase the supply of water so they can claim that we can't build anything due to lack of water supply. It's all about that.

I hope Livermore doesn't charge the penalties like they did last drought. The penalties were based on averaged usage from previous two years I believe, and we had more people in our home, and also had planted drought-tolerant plants in place of the bare dirt and dead plants previous owners had. We were fined $53 for using 7cfm, while my neighbor used 25 cfm and they did not incur a fine. Just because they had used a ton of water the previous two years. I would rather see rules like:
Water running on pavement or gutter equals fine
Swimming pools must be covered to prevent evaporation
Broken sprinkler equals fine
No permits for new pools
etc.

We lost eight fruit trees in the previous drought.
We no longer have a robust garden; we no longer can and freeze food due to water consumption to grow food.

We replaced all three flush toilets, all sinks and shower fixtures with water miser fixtures. We wash cloths and use dishwasher one day each week. We replaced our lawn with mulch. I now use weed killer a couple times each month. We cannot reduce any more, we maxed out everything.

One option remaining: To dig a deep hole in the back yard, erect a structure as an outhouse.

Drought drought, what’s causing the drought?
Too much or excessive heat. I will keep on saying it.
Traffic creates excessive heat. Fuel or gas alone has already warm temperature in it. Imagine during high temperature plus traffics plus our air conditioners that blows heat and there are thousands of them during this heat time. This heat will stop the moisture evaporation to become rain. And without rain more big problems are coming, like fires that blows tremendous amount of heat and smokes, dries up even more fresh water.
This guaranteed will and would dried up our precious fresh water.
Desalination ocean water, how could we use it in big farms?
Thanks to those people who conserve our precious water.

The above rate is an increase across the board. It has nothing to do with conservation, as there is no prior year use conservation target to hit, after which you will be charged more.

Pleasanton has hiked by almost 300% the variable water rate distribution charges to enrich their bottom line, using the stage 2 drought as the pretext.

They will bring in 4 years worth of variable water revenue in 1 year and you will be charged triple, whether you use 1 ccf of water or 10ccf.

It’s not to “help” you conserve, it’s helping themselves to your conservation revenue.

Why haven't Livermore and Pleasanton started working on a plan to deliver recycled water for residential irrigation? The infrastructure already exists in Pleasanton as all our parks, schools, and public places are using recycled water (purple pipes). This includes Hacienda Business Park.

For starters, Becky refers to how many cfm her family used. Zone 7 and Pleasanton outreach efforts to help residents understand water delivery are utter failures. The term "cfm" isn't used in water-speak. d. The water terms are AF(acre-feet), HCF (hundred cubic feet) CCfalso is hundred cubic feet, just to confuse folks a bit more. Those are called a Unit, aka 748 gallons of water. We buy gasoline, milk and other beverages by the gallon, so why can't they just put it on the bill that way?l.
My friend Google tells me average individual water use ranges from 80 to 200 gallons a day. in 2019, the State of California set a 55 gal/day indoor use limit.
Web Link
Great idea, except there's no way to measure it, with only 1 meter, who knows what is used indoors and what outdoors? Or how many people live there and how many are visitors.
There is a target to hit, vp, and that target is 2020, 2 years ago. That's a bad target because by then most were already conserving making further cutbacks a genuine hardship for many.
These agencies need to return to the drawing board, get real about customers and help what will get us to work together to ease the burden on a dwindling supply, work harder toward storage solutions, and quit muddying the waters with nonsensical non-explanations designed to squeeze our wallets to breaking. We really are in trouble, folks, and it's gonna be up to us to make them help get us out of it.
The only problem is households only get 1 meter, so there's no way to figure which is indoor and which is out. No worries.