That’s one of the topics that the California Data Collaborative has been analyzing. But how well are these incentive programs working? As such, the state has spent more than $500 million on rebate programs to incentivize turf removal. Roughly half the water use for a household is outdoors in California, which makes cutting down on irrigation a prime target for conservation. More agencies are hoping to climb on board but the early joiners were: Moulton Niguel Water District, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Irvine Ranch Water District, East Bay Municipal Utility District, La Virgenes Municipal Water Agency, Santa Margarita Water District, Monte Vista Water District and Eastern Municipal Water District. “In addition, statewide data integration and standardization will allow for comparative analyses of customer usage changes attributed to water conservation initiatives such as turf rebates and public outreach, as well as projections of future patterns.”Ĭurrently there are eight water agencies on board, which contribute all of the data from meter readings of every customer to a cloud-based server. “The increased knowledge from the Data Collaborative analytics is intended to provide utilities with a radically more rapid view of program effectiveness, cost per program and how to better reach and respond to customer water use behavior,” the site explains. The project is in its first phase and the initial focus is on understanding outdoor water use efficiency, so data specific to locations, such as population, irrigable area and the evapotranspiration rate can be added to user data. Then that data can be analyzed, along with other information. And an important part of this, said Atwater, is standardizing all the data that is being collected through various water suppliers and state agencies. Ultimately the goal of the project is “integrating the entire life cycle of water use data” as the collaborative’s website states. It is “a coalition of water utilities working together to share data and accelerate water efficiencies and ensure reliability in the face of our water supply challenges,” said the initiative’s project manager Patrick Atwater. That’s where the California Data Collaborative comes in. There is still much more to be learned about how Californians use water, how much they use and how well conservation and efficiency programs are working. This information, available online to anyone, is useful. And last week the governor further enshrined that data collection effort in a new executive order. Jerry Brown mandated that urban water suppliers report monthly average gallons per capita per day to track water conservation. And now it is getting serious about the role of data in that fight. The last few years has shown that California is getting serious about policies to combat drought.
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