Community water use and access: Greater Sacramento

An increasing number of places in the US need to be concerned about access to waterin terms of being able to accommodate current and future population.  Agricultural areas are also concerned about drought, which is a serious problem right now in California, home to the nation's largest agricultural production region.

The Sacramento Bee has an article, "How much water a community gulps varies across the Sacramento region," about water consumption in Greater Sacramento, which uses more water per capita compared to the state average, and drills down and presents the data for different communities.

Speaking of planning, from the article:

Though they share the same climate, Granite Bay residents use almost twice as much water per person as Sacramento residents, state data show. Woodland residents consume more per person than nearby Davis residents. Citrus Heights residents use less water than their neighbors in Orangevale.

The patterns were taken from water use management plans recently submitted to the state that reflect 10-year consumption averages, mostly between 1995 and 2005. They show that water consumption doesn’t just break down along familiar lines: coast vs. inland, north vs. south, water-rich vs. desert. Instead, travel a few miles within the Sacramento region and witness very different approaches to water use.

The patterns also reflect clear correlations: Cities with smaller home lots and smaller yards tend to consume less water per person than those with estates. Cities that long ago installed water meters and invested in programs encouraging water conservation tend to use less water than those that have taken a more passive approach.

The article goes on to discuss different practices by different communities, how denser residential housing patterns end up consuming less water per capita, incentive programs to spur the adoption of low water use appliances and toilets, etc.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/08/6220787/how-much-water-a-community-gulps.html#storylink=cpy