President Scott Peters says it's time to start looking at ways to conserve water because of concerns over California's water supply. And he's going to start in is own backyard. The water bills of the Council President were made public in a media report last week. His water usage was eight times higher than the typical user. KPBS Radio's Joanne Faryon has more.
City Council President Scott Peters lives with his wife and two children in a 5500 square foot home in La Jolla. His property spans two lots, with more than an acre of lawn, plants and flowers. Documents KPBS obtained through a request under the public records act, show Peters used an average of 83,000 gallons of water a month. The typical user uses about 10,000 gallons of water in a month.
Peters: I think like a lot of families, we're going to sit down and have that conversation about how to reduce our water use and we hope that its an opportunity for us to learn some tings, and maybe for our neighbors too.
Sixty percent of all water in San Diego County is used on landscaping. Peters suspects his large lot may have something to do with his high bills. So he's asking the water department to audit his property and suggest ways to conserve water. It's a free service provided to all residents.
Peters: I know intellectually there's a need to conserve, but I can't tell you unfortunately what I need to do at my house to do that.
KPBS also obtained water usage rates of the mayor and other councilmembers for the past 12 months (see chart below). Mayor Jerry Sanders used an average of 18,000 gallons of water a month. Almost twice the typical user.
For KPBS News, I'm Joanne Faryon.
Click the chart to view or right-click to download :
