Though the California drought is now essentially over, it was a serious problem in the state for years. It affected numerous aspects of daily life. Water conservation became a central issue in many California homes. The impact of the drought extended to plumbing strategies and methods.
The California Drought
The California drought lasted for around six years. Though the extreme measures for the drought had lessened over the winter months, the governor officially ended the emergency in spring of last year. The drought had reduced the supply of a major reservoir in Northern California, Folsom Lake, to less than a third of the reservoir’s capacity, and done serious damage to the Sierra Nevada snowpack. Between June 2015 and January 2017, California residents had managed to reduce water usage by 22%. Though officials have declared the drought is over, they remain wary of another one occurring and are hoping everyone keeps following the conservation methods in place during the drought.
The California Drought and Plumbing
The largest plumbing regulation that lawmakers created for the California drought began in 2014. Any project that was extensive enough to require a permit from the city needed to use plumbing fixtures that conserve water as opposed to standard fixtures. Though the law enthused environmentalists, many contractors were not thrilled because they were concerned it would discourage people from doing home renovations and redesigns.
California lawmakers and conversationalists also stressed that people should fix leaky faucets as soon as possible, as they can waste up to 20 gallons of water a day.
What You Can Do With Your Plumbing to Conserve Water
Though the California drought it officially over, there is still a possibility that another water shortage will occur at some point in the future. California residents should continue taking measures to conserve more water in their homes. Renovating your plumbing is one of the ways to reduce your water usage. Some of the steps you can take include:
- Install low flow or dual flush toilets
- Replace your shower head with a low flow option
- Use a faucet aerator to limit the amount of water that comes from your faucet at once