DONT WASTE A GOOD DROUGHT Sierra Orr Water

DON’T WASTE A GOOD DROUGHT Sierra Orr, Water Conservation & Public Information Big Bear Lake Department of Water & Power

Big Bear Lake DWP Ø Who are we? Ø What do we do?

Water in the Valley Big Bear Municipal Water District (MWD) Big Bear City Community Services District (CSD) Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Authority (BBARWA) Photo Courtesy Library of Congress

So… ? Ø Ø Ø Wildfires Ø Smoke No rain, no storms Ø Dust Ø Fallow fields Ø No way to wash away particles Energy to move water

American Lung Association State of the Air 2015 “The impact of climate change is particularly apparent in the West where the heat and drought create situations ripe for episodes of high particle days. ” ”Dust, exhaust fumes, other particles linger longer in air without rain to wash it out. ”

In the News “Air quality was improving and [the San Joaquin air districts] were making good progress toward attaining the federal standard, ” said Sylvia Vanderspek, chief of the air quality planning branch of the California Air Resources Board (CARB). ” “And then the drought happened. ” Healthline News Cameron Scott Nov 12 2015

In the News “Where there used to be vegetation, there are now fallow fields from which dry soil can blow into neighboring towns. On construction sites, workers must be conservative about using water to keep down dust. ” “In the Central Valley, the drought compounds problems with the mix of tiny solid and liquid particles in our polluted air. ” Sacramento Bee June 28, 2015

In the News “This summer, Fresno public health officials reported a four-fold increase in the number of people seeking medical care for asthma. ” Healthline News Cameron Scott Nov 12 2015

Water and Energy Drinking water and wastewater systems account for approximately 3 – 4 percent of energy use in the United States, resulting in the emissions of more than California Energy Commission, 2005; U. S. EPA, 2010 a; U. S. EPA, 2010 b; Energy Center of Wisconsin, 2003 45 million tons of

Production

State Mandated Conservation

Conservation: Business as … Usual Toilet Rebates Turf Buyback Conservation Consults Marketing Free items Educational Outreach Not so usual ROCS (unique to BBLDWP) Biggest Loser Smart Meters BVWSP Energy Upgrades

Conservation in Action

Energy Upgrades Solar panels Slant wells Energy efficient reservoirs and wells

Drought 1/ Fish. . . 0? Ø One fish, two fish Photos by Colleen Le. Beau, ABC 7 News

But Don’t Waste a Good drought! Photo courtesy of the Big Bear Grizzly

But Don’t Waste a Good drought! Photos courtesy of the Big Bear Grizzly

Drought 1/ Forest 0 Ø Lake Fire Image courtesy EPA Image courtesy of Hazard Mapping System, US Air Quality Smoke Blog

But Don’t Waste a Good Drought! NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response. Photo c ourtesy Chris C larke/K CET

From crisis to creativity

Drought 1, Lake 0 2011 2015

Lake Levels During the Drought Date Level Down From Full November 16, 2015 58’ 1” 14’ 2” November 17, 2014 60’ 7” 11’ 8” November 18, 2013 64’ 3” 8’ November 19, 2012 68’ 0” 4’ 3” November 18, 2011 70’ 3” 2’ November 18, 2010 67’ 5” 4’ 10”

Don’t Waste a Good Drought!

Bear Valley Water Sustainability Project Ground water win Recycled water win Lake level win Environmental win Animals win Economy win Fish win Tourism win Schools win Parks win Stickleback win Construction win

Questions/Discussion Sierra Orr (909)866 -5050 x 202 SOrr@bbldwp. com – Conservation@BBLDWP. com