210 replies to this topic

[Darth Lefty]

So you do foresee pit latrines and Road Warrior?

[ducky]

479 gallons per person per day?  how is that possible?  that must be averaging in annual landscaping, etc., so a per household figure based on the number of people in the household.  If that is the case, the average household would be 4 people X 479 X 30 or 57,480 gallons a month and 689,000 annually?

And let's carry that out to how much water usage would be for the population Tony gave of 65,000.  479 gallons per person per day would be 31,135,000 gallons per day or approximately 95.549806 acre feet per day.  Multiply 95.549806 acre feet per day times 365 would be 34,875.679 acre feet per year - yet we are only using 23,000 something, including for business, etc.?  Doesn't add up. 

So you do foresee pit latrines and Road Warrior?

No.  There are solutions if people could put aside egos and politics.

But if it does come to pit latrines and Road Warrior, I hope I'm watching it from another state where rain barrels are actually a practical thing.

[cw68]

Well, I can tell you that is inaccurate for my family of four.  
Is that the same database that Camay linked?, because I have some questions about the way the numbers were reported.
If you read the full story with the link, they have Palm Springs lamenting that their figures are so high because they only count the permanent population and not the snowbirds or tourists.  I can't imagine why Anaheim wouldn't be complaining about the same thing, but they show low usage, which is hard to fathom when they have Disneyland and all those hotel guests 365 days a year.

Yes, it is the same database. I feel very confident that that number is more accurate (if not completely accurate) than the EPA average. Was your EPA average for the US as a whole? California? Northern California?

Regardless, that is how much water Folsom is using per resident, counting 72,000 residents, which is the same number on which you are basing your calculations. This is regardless of leaks, business use etc. that is how much Folsom is using per day, divided by 72,000 residents.

How does this much get used? I believe 80% in our climate is exterior, including landscaping and pools. Interesting to note: 200 of the average sized pools for this area evaporate 3.5 million gallons of water annually. That's an average of 48 gallons per day per pool.

[ducky]

Yes, it is the same database. I feel very confident that that number is more accurate (if not completely accurate) than the EPA average. Was your EPA average for the US as a whole? California? Northern California?

Regardless, that is how much water Folsom is using per resident, counting 72,000 residents, which is the same number on which you are basing your calculations. This is regardless of leaks, business use etc. that is how much Folsom is using per day, divided by 72,000 residents.

How does this much get used? I believe 80% in our climate is exterior, including landscaping and pools. Interesting to note: 200 of the average sized pools for this area evaporate 3.5 million gallons of water annually. That's an average of 48 gallons per day per pool.

 

Yes, it is the same database. I feel very confident that that number is more accurate (if not completely accurate) than the EPA average. Was your EPA average for the US as a whole? California? Northern California?

Regardless, that is how much water Folsom is using per resident, counting 72,000 residents, which is the same number on which you are basing your calculations. This is regardless of leaks, business use etc. that is how much Folsom is using per day, divided by 72,000 residents.

How does this much get used? I believe 80% in our climate is exterior, including landscaping and pools. Interesting to note: 200 of the average sized pools for this area evaporate 3.5 million gallons of water annually. That's an average of 48 gallons per day per pool.

 

Yes, it is the same database. I feel very confident that that number is more accurate (if not completely accurate) than the EPA average. Was your EPA average for the US as a whole? California? Northern California?

Regardless, that is how much water Folsom is using per resident, counting 72,000 residents, which is the same number on which you are basing your calculations. This is regardless of leaks, business use etc. that is how much Folsom is using per day, divided by 72,000 residents.

How does this much get used? I believe 80% in our climate is exterior, including landscaping and pools. Interesting to note: 200 of the average sized pools for this area evaporate 3.5 million gallons of water annually. That's an average of 48 gallons per day per pool.

 

According to Tony, that 72,000 includes prisoners, which shouldn't be counted in our population as far as water use because they are not served by the City of Folsom - at least as far as I know.  If we do use your figure of 72,000 we would be using more than our water rights allow at the current time, which I don't think the BOR would allow.

[cw68]

 
 
 
According to Tony, that 72,000 includes prisoners, which shouldn't be counted in our population as far as water use because they are not served by the City of Folsom - at least as far as I know.  If we do use your figure of 72,000 we would be using more than our water rights allow at the current time, which I don't think the BOR would allow.

I wish I wasn't at work right now (lunch finishing up) or I'd find out how they figured 479 per person.

Regardless, I think any more affluent than average city in Northern California uses more than the US average.

[ducky]

I wish I wasn't at work right now (lunch finishing up) or I'd find out how they figured 479 per person.

Regardless, I think any more affluent than average city in Northern California uses more than the US average.

I agree and that link that camay provided said just that about Hillsborough, but I think that number is a little out of whack.  If I had to guess I would say it was more in line with 479 per household per day, assuming 2.8 per household (Tony's figure), where other communities use less.  That seems more in line.

[4thgenFolsomite]

I'm trying to figure out how my household compares with average consumption in the city.

[cw68]

I'm trying to figure out how my household compares with average consumption in the city.

I'll put mine out there:
Billing Month/Cubic Sq Ft
2-2014 / 5.25
1-2014 / 10. 19 (husband was waterin the lawn!)
12-2013 / 8.35
11-2013 / 16.20 (told husband to stop watering the lawn)
10-2013 / 19.66
9-0213 / 20.17
8-2013 / 27.02
7-2013 / 16.58
6-2013 / 14.33
5-2013 / 7.61

There are four of us, but two half-time, so average of three. As indicated before, my husband and I haven't been on the same page on water use. Since he moved in last April, he has stopped cleaning off the driveway with water, isn't washing his car every Sunday and has stopped watering the landscaping in the winter. He's coming around, thanks to meters where he can see response to measures taken.

[ducky]

I found the figure used in the article camay linked (Mercury News I believe).  It has a Folsom city official saying our population is 72,000 and that the average PER PERSON use is 429 gallons a day, which is very close to what cw68 quoted.  That would mean that residential use would amount to 34,599.003 acre feet.  Perhaps they are including industrial, institutional, commercial, unaccounted for, in that figure.  I don't know.

 

Even if they are including all water flowing into the City of Folsom to get that average of 429 gallons per person per day whether it goes only to residences or a soy sauce factory, it still is more than what we are alloted by water rights.  Now, how can that be?  

 

In the January 29, 2014, edition of The Folsom Telegraph Evert Palmer, the city manager, is quoted as saying we currently only use 24,000 acre feet annually (note that includes commercial/residential/all uses).  He is also quoted as saying we have long-standing water rights of 34,000 acre feet which is enough to cover N50 and the "plan area" which I assume is S50.

 

Using Mr. Palmer's figures of 24,000 total annual usage, if you divide that by a population of 72,000 you get 0.3333333 AF per person.  To convert that into gallons, multiply it by 325,851 (the amount in an acre foot of water) and you get 108,616.98.  Divide that by 365 to get the usage per day per person and you get 297.58076 gallons.  Remember that would have to include all uses - aquatic center, hotels, restaurants, median landscapes, schools, everything, divided among the population.

 

I'm no math wiz so what am I missing here?

[ducky]

I'll put mine out there:
Billing Month/Cubic Sq Ft
2-2014 / 5.25
1-2014 / 10. 19 (husband was waterin the lawn!)
12-2013 / 8.35
11-2013 / 16.20 (told husband to stop watering the lawn)
10-2013 / 19.66
9-0213 / 20.17
8-2013 / 27.02
7-2013 / 16.58
6-2013 / 14.33
5-2013 / 7.61

There are four of us, but two half-time, so average of three. As indicated before, my husband and I haven't been on the same page on water use. Since he moved in last April, he has stopped cleaning off the driveway with water, isn't washing his car every Sunday and has stopped watering the landscaping in the winter. He's coming around, thanks to meters where he can see response to measures taken.

 

I'm so glad I'm not the only one with the issue of getting everyone on board.  I have to admit some of our high usage this summer was the fact that I didn't realize the dog was fascinated with the newer part of the drip system I installed.  Unfortunately, I didn't realize there was a problem until a tree was drooping and stressed and there were weeds growing where it should have been dry as a bone.  We also had a new timer stick on overnight.  Never did figure out why it happened.

[cw68]

 
I'm so glad I'm not the only one with the issue of getting everyone on board.  I have to admit some of our high usage this summer was the fact that I didn't realize the dog was fascinated with the newer part of the drip system I installed.  Unfortunately, I didn't realize there was a problem until a tree was drooping and stressed and there were weeds growing where it should have been dry as a bone.  We also had a new timer stick on overnight.  Never did figure out why it happened.

To be fair to my husband, I'm a total utility miser. I am conscious of every single light that is on when not completely necessary, every degree difference on the thermostat, etc. My parents taught me that waste is bad; it totally stuck and I'm teaching it to my kids, too. My husband, while not particularly wasteful, never thought about it.

It's getting better. Über-low bills and the drought have helped.

[4thgenFolsomite]

am I the only grammar Nazi who is irked by how "You're Paranoid" is spelled "Your Paranoid" in the voting box? 

 

by the way, anyone have any idea about the answer to the poll?

[Darth Lefty]

I'm trying to figure out how my household compares with average consumption in the city.

Read your meter... I just got an email from San Juan Water District with a link to a video but not sure if it's the same for Folsom peeps.

 

by the way, anyone have any idea about the answer to the poll?

And if out of sheer perversity we all vote for "Your Paranoid" and it wins, are we wrong or right?

[4thgenFolsomite]

I understand how to read my meter.  I want to figure out how my household use compares with the average Folsom household.  and not based on some statewide reporting figures.

[4thgenFolsomite]

okay, my January use was 7.68.  I did have to water a bit to keep my citrus trees alive.