California Fights Drought With Data and Psychology, Yielding 5% Usage Reduction

dcblogs writes with an article about hackers using technology to mitigate the effects of drought. From the article: "California is facing its worst drought in more than 100 years, and one with no end in sight. But it is offering Silicon Valley opportunities. In one project, the East Bay Municipal Utility District in Oakland used customized usage reports .... that [compare] a customer's water use against average use for similar sized households. It uses a form of peer pressure to change behavior. A ... year-long pilot showed a 5% reduction in water usage. The utility said the reporting system could 'go a long way' toward helping the state meet its goal of a reducing water usage by 20% per capita statewide. In other tech related activities, the organizer of a water-tech focused hackathon, Hack the Drought is hoping this effort leads to new water conserving approaches. Overall, water tech supporters are working to bring more investor attention to this market. Imagine H2O, a non-profit, holds annual water tech contests and then helps with access to venture funding. The effort is focused on 'trying to address the market failure in the water sector,' Scott Bryan, the chief operating officer of Imagine H2O."

Comments

I have a better idea

[oic0]

Stop trying to farm and build huge cities in the desert. When you fuss about not being able to find enough water in the desert I just want to sit in my muddy, humid, rainy state... and watch you die of thirst.

Re:I have a better idea

[dcw3]

Queue the late great Sam Kinison:
You want to help world hunger? Stop sending them food. Don't send them another bite, send them U-Hauls. Send them a guy that says, "You know, we've been coming here giving you food for about 35 years now and we were driving through the desert, and we realized there wouldn't BE world hunger if you people would live where the FOOD IS! YOU LIVE IN A DESERT!! UNDERSTAND THAT? YOU LIVE IN A FUCKING DESERT!! NOTHING GROWS HERE! NOTHING'S GONNA GROW HERE! Come here, you see this? This is sand. You know what it's gonna be 100 years from now? IT'S GONNA BE SAND!! YOU LIVE IN A FUCKING DESERT! We have deserts in America, we just don't live in them, assholes!"

There is no drought in California.

[Snufu]

There is merely a shortage of raw materials (H2O) for big agriculture.

Agriculture consumes 80% of the water in California and contributes 5% of the economy. There is sufficient water in California to supply the cities 5 times over.

But before you fly-over states get all self-righteous, think about this the next time you buy fresh salad greens in January.

Re:Manufactured Crisis

[iggymanz]

I'm against watering a barren blazing desert in the west trying to pretend its "farmland"

Re:Here in WI we're required to keep a running fau

[hubie]

Tell me more about global warming, please.

Sure thing.

Re:Reduce usage - pay more

[Anonymous Coward]

We have the same problem in Texas too. The rice farmers aren't willing to pay a free market price for water. They insist on paying 1/100th of what everyone else does. A long time ago, they got a law passed saying the water they used from the river each year means they own that much water from the river each year forever. Many won't even consider growing a crop that uses less water. "I've always grown rice. You can't tell me what to do with my water." Of course, they all vote for "free market" Republicans, because they'll keep the Mexicans illegal and protect us from Obama.