LB Water Receives Highest Recognition in Accounting, Financial Reporting
LONG BEACH, CA - The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting has been awarded to the Long Beach Water Department by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for its comprehensive annual financial report. This is the 21st consecutive year the Long Beach Water Department has received this esteemed recognition.
"The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management," according to the GFOA. The GFOA is a nonprofit professional association serving approximately 16,000 government finance professionals with offices in Chicago, IL, and Washington D.C.
The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency, and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Turn Your Sprinklers Off!!
National Weather Service forecasters are predicting rainfall for Los Angeles County and the southern California region starting tonight, with a 90 percent chance of showers on Wednesday. The Long Beach Water Department is urging residents, businesses and all public agencies to immediately shut off landscape watering systems through the weekend to conserve water.
"The rain we'll get tonight and tomorrow will sustain our landscapes until next week," according to Matt Lyons, Director of Conservation for the Long Beach Water Department. Irrigation systems can be turned off for several days following storms bringing measurable amounts of rain, and up to a week or more following heavier rain events. "We have a chance this week to save a lot of water, if we can shut down our irrigation systems," he added.
To determine when it is necessary to turn water systems back on, the Long Beach Water Department recommends monitoring soil moisture and plant stress. Check soil moisture by sticking a shovel or your finger into the dirt. When the soil is dry one to two inches deep, it is time to water. Signs of plant stress include wilting and/or a lack of luster in leaves or blades of grass.
Fifty to seventy percent of all the water we use in Long Beach is used outdoors, typically on our lawns. The biggest contribution we can make toward water conservation is to eliminate the most wasteful outdoor uses of water. Long Beach landscapes should only be watered Monday, Thursday and Saturday, and for no longer than 10 minutes per watering station. Watering three days each week is plenty of water to keep landscapes beautiful and healthy, particularly if you've landscaped with water-efficient plants, like those native to southern California.
The City of Long Beach implemented its Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan in September 2007, following a declaration by the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners that a water supply shortage for the City, and southern California, is imminent. Certain outdoor uses of water have been prohibited in Long Beach for over a year. The City has set 10-year record lows of water consumption in 10 of the last 13 months.
For more water conservation tips, incentives, programs and for a complete list of illegal uses of water, visit www.lbwater.org
"The rain we'll get tonight and tomorrow will sustain our landscapes until next week," according to Matt Lyons, Director of Conservation for the Long Beach Water Department. Irrigation systems can be turned off for several days following storms bringing measurable amounts of rain, and up to a week or more following heavier rain events. "We have a chance this week to save a lot of water, if we can shut down our irrigation systems," he added.
To determine when it is necessary to turn water systems back on, the Long Beach Water Department recommends monitoring soil moisture and plant stress. Check soil moisture by sticking a shovel or your finger into the dirt. When the soil is dry one to two inches deep, it is time to water. Signs of plant stress include wilting and/or a lack of luster in leaves or blades of grass.
Fifty to seventy percent of all the water we use in Long Beach is used outdoors, typically on our lawns. The biggest contribution we can make toward water conservation is to eliminate the most wasteful outdoor uses of water. Long Beach landscapes should only be watered Monday, Thursday and Saturday, and for no longer than 10 minutes per watering station. Watering three days each week is plenty of water to keep landscapes beautiful and healthy, particularly if you've landscaped with water-efficient plants, like those native to southern California.
The City of Long Beach implemented its Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan in September 2007, following a declaration by the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners that a water supply shortage for the City, and southern California, is imminent. Certain outdoor uses of water have been prohibited in Long Beach for over a year. The City has set 10-year record lows of water consumption in 10 of the last 13 months.
For more water conservation tips, incentives, programs and for a complete list of illegal uses of water, visit www.lbwater.org
Monday, November 17, 2008
Historical 10-Year Lows
Long Beach Continues Hitting Historical 10-year Lows for Water Use
October '08 another 10-year low; Despite above average temperatures and below average rainfall
The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners has announced that Long Beach water demand for October 2008 has set a new record 10-year low. Long Beach water use this October was 9.5 percent below the historical 10-year average ('98-'07) water use. October '08 water use was 9 percent below October '07. Early last month, the Board announced that the City had set a new record 10-year low for Fiscal Year 2008, which ended September 30th. That announcement meant that the City had consumed less water in Fiscal Year '08, than in any other year over the past decade. In fact, the City consumed less water in Fiscal Year '08 than it did during the height of the 1987-1992 drought, with mandatory rationing and a population 15 percent smaller than today. The Long Beach Water Department is in its second year of extraordinary, mandatory water conservation due to an imminent water supply shortage in southern California. October '08 is the 10th record setting month for low water use since the Board of Water Commissioners' declaration of imminent water supply shortage in September 2007.
"Waste not, want not," says John Allen
, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. "Again, every gallon we don't use is a gallon we leave in storage. This is an idea that should have been embraced months ago by every community in southern California. We have been using our storage to water our landscapes, and that storage is at historic low levels as we head into what may very well be another dry year." The collective storage level of Lake Shasta, Lake Oroville and San Luis Reservoir, the feeders to the State Water Project, are the lowest they've been since 1977. This is a primary reason for the State Department of Water Resources' recent announcement that water deliveries from northern California to the Central Valley, and on to southern California, may be 85 percent below what is being requested for these regions next year.
"We have got to move quickly as a region to take a firm stand on this," adds Kevin L. Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. "Even if we have average rainfall this year, the reality is that we no longer have enough water to meet demand here in southern California, even in normal hydrologic years. Every city in southern California needs to implement mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water, and make those prohibitions permanent."
Long Beach Water Conservation Effectiveness Indicators
October 2008 is 9.5% below historical 10-year average
October 2008 is 8.9% below October 2007
October 2007 demand was 5,650 acre-feet; October 2008 demand was 5,400 acre feet
Precipitation for October '07 was .56 inches; Precipitation for October '08 was .08 inches (Normal is .40 inches)
Temperature for October '07 was 68.3 degrees; Temperature for October '08 was 70.2 degrees (Normal is 68.6)
On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City's Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board of Water Commissioners issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. "The Board took the action it did, over a year ago now, to forestall and lessen the impact of an expected water supply shortage," according to Board president, John Allen. The Board's Declaration was necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California; the dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California; and climate realities.
The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.
October '08 another 10-year low; Despite above average temperatures and below average rainfall
The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners has announced that Long Beach water demand for October 2008 has set a new record 10-year low. Long Beach water use this October was 9.5 percent below the historical 10-year average ('98-'07) water use. October '08 water use was 9 percent below October '07. Early last month, the Board announced that the City had set a new record 10-year low for Fiscal Year 2008, which ended September 30th. That announcement meant that the City had consumed less water in Fiscal Year '08, than in any other year over the past decade. In fact, the City consumed less water in Fiscal Year '08 than it did during the height of the 1987-1992 drought, with mandatory rationing and a population 15 percent smaller than today. The Long Beach Water Department is in its second year of extraordinary, mandatory water conservation due to an imminent water supply shortage in southern California. October '08 is the 10th record setting month for low water use since the Board of Water Commissioners' declaration of imminent water supply shortage in September 2007.
"Waste not, want not," says John Allen
, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. "Again, every gallon we don't use is a gallon we leave in storage. This is an idea that should have been embraced months ago by every community in southern California. We have been using our storage to water our landscapes, and that storage is at historic low levels as we head into what may very well be another dry year." The collective storage level of Lake Shasta, Lake Oroville and San Luis Reservoir, the feeders to the State Water Project, are the lowest they've been since 1977. This is a primary reason for the State Department of Water Resources' recent announcement that water deliveries from northern California to the Central Valley, and on to southern California, may be 85 percent below what is being requested for these regions next year.
"We have got to move quickly as a region to take a firm stand on this," adds Kevin L. Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. "Even if we have average rainfall this year, the reality is that we no longer have enough water to meet demand here in southern California, even in normal hydrologic years. Every city in southern California needs to implement mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water, and make those prohibitions permanent."
Long Beach Water Conservation Effectiveness Indicators
October 2008 is 9.5% below historical 10-year average
October 2008 is 8.9% below October 2007
October 2007 demand was 5,650 acre-feet; October 2008 demand was 5,400 acre feet
Precipitation for October '07 was .56 inches; Precipitation for October '08 was .08 inches (Normal is .40 inches)
Temperature for October '07 was 68.3 degrees; Temperature for October '08 was 70.2 degrees (Normal is 68.6)
On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City's Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board of Water Commissioners issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. "The Board took the action it did, over a year ago now, to forestall and lessen the impact of an expected water supply shortage," according to Board president, John Allen. The Board's Declaration was necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California; the dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California; and climate realities.
The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.
CA Water Supply Worsens
The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners is again urging increased attention to extraordinary water conservation measures after the California Fish and Game Commission today, issued new, emergency regulations for protecting the longfin smelt, a candidate species for listing under the California Endangered Species Act, from operations related to moving water through the State Water Project. The new regulations, expected to take effect next month, are likely to further reduce the supplies of imported water southern California receives from the Bay Delta.
"As with the Delta Smelt decision last year, it is not possible to specifically state what this means for our water supply, as the week-to-week decisions are somewhat arbitrary and unpredictable," according to Kevin Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. "However, it is certain that this decision has a significant, negative impact on the water supply of the State Water Project, and the areas of the state that depend on it."
Existing delivery restrictions to protect the Delta smelt, as ordered by a Fresno federal district court in September 2007, reduced imported water deliveries from the Bay Delta nearly 30 percent. Upon the federal district court ruling in September 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a declaration of imminent water supply shortage and implemented mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water in the City of Long Beach. Long Beach has set historical, 10-year record lows for water consumption in 10 of the last 13 months.
"As with the Delta Smelt decision last year, it is not possible to specifically state what this means for our water supply, as the week-to-week decisions are somewhat arbitrary and unpredictable," according to Kevin Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. "However, it is certain that this decision has a significant, negative impact on the water supply of the State Water Project, and the areas of the state that depend on it."
Existing delivery restrictions to protect the Delta smelt, as ordered by a Fresno federal district court in September 2007, reduced imported water deliveries from the Bay Delta nearly 30 percent. Upon the federal district court ruling in September 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a declaration of imminent water supply shortage and implemented mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water in the City of Long Beach. Long Beach has set historical, 10-year record lows for water consumption in 10 of the last 13 months.
Facelift?
FACELIFT?
LB Water awarding brand new, water conserving, beautiful front yards! FREE
LONG BEACH, CA – Today, the Long Beach Water Department has announced the kick-off of a citywide opportunity drawing where Long Beach residents may win a beautiful, water-efficient, front yard make-over, each valued at up to $10,000. These new landscapes will be professionally designed, installed, and paid for by the Long Beach Water Department, as part of the agency’s progressive conservation communications initiative. The drawing, design and installation of these landscapes will be filmed and televised. Residents may enter the drawing by visiting, www.lbwater.org.
The drawing, which will create nine unique, water-efficient demonstration landscapes throughout the City, will be used as a platform to raise the awareness of wasteful outdoor watering practices, expose people to the benefits of water efficient landscaping, and inspire people to permanently change their lifestyle so that inefficient and wasteful uses of water are no longer tolerated.
Residents of Long Beach are being invited to simply enter their name and address to win. The opportunity drawing will conclude on January 9, 2009 (last day to enter). Winners will be selected at random by each member of the Long Beach City Council at a date and time yet to be determined, in the weeks following the conclusion of the drawing. There will be one winning home in each of the City’s nine Council Districts.
According to Matt Lyons, Director of Conservation and Planning for the Long Beach Water Department, "southern California’s drinking water supplies have been permanently reduced over the last few years. We must lower our demand down to where it's roughly equal to our supply. One of the best ways to do this is by reducing our landscape irrigation." In southern California, landscape typically consumes huge amounts of water: roughly half the water used in the average home goes to landscape. "There’s a lot of room for improvement on how southern Californian’s irrigate their yards," added Lyon’s.
"To give people an idea on the amount of water we can save by changing our approach to landscape and outdoor irrigation, you need only look at the water saved by Long Beach residents this year," stated John Allen, President of the Board of Water Commissioners. "We’ve set record 10-year lows for water consumption in eight of the last eleven months, and we’ll set a new 10-year record low for the year. These records can be attributed to changes in attitudes and behavior in water use outside the home. This is obviously a focus we would like to sustain, for the long-term."
The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners recently announced that August 2008 was the eighth record setting month for low water consumption this year. August water demand was 19 percent below the 10-year average water demand; it was over 18 percent below August 2007. Long Beach water demand for fiscal year 2008 is currently tracking at 9 percent below the 10-year average for annual water use.
On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. The Declaration was necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California; the dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California; and climate conditions resulting in drought.
"Through the Opportunity Drawing we hope to raise awareness of an important and exciting new concept in landscape, Beautiful Long Beach Landscape, and most importantly, support and complement our on-going efforts to re-engineer the way we think about and use water," according to Matt Lyons,
The innovation of the colorful Beautiful Long Beach Landscape comes from the fact that it reduces landscape water needs by 80 percent or more while at the same time reduces the harmful impact urban water run-off has on our coastal marine habitat, beautifies our neighborhoods, reduces yard maintenance, and improves our quality of life.
Details on the drawing can be found at www.lbwater.org, or residents may call (562) 570-2300.
The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California, retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.
LB Water awarding brand new, water conserving, beautiful front yards! FREE
LONG BEACH, CA – Today, the Long Beach Water Department has announced the kick-off of a citywide opportunity drawing where Long Beach residents may win a beautiful, water-efficient, front yard make-over, each valued at up to $10,000. These new landscapes will be professionally designed, installed, and paid for by the Long Beach Water Department, as part of the agency’s progressive conservation communications initiative. The drawing, design and installation of these landscapes will be filmed and televised. Residents may enter the drawing by visiting, www.lbwater.org.
The drawing, which will create nine unique, water-efficient demonstration landscapes throughout the City, will be used as a platform to raise the awareness of wasteful outdoor watering practices, expose people to the benefits of water efficient landscaping, and inspire people to permanently change their lifestyle so that inefficient and wasteful uses of water are no longer tolerated.
Residents of Long Beach are being invited to simply enter their name and address to win. The opportunity drawing will conclude on January 9, 2009 (last day to enter). Winners will be selected at random by each member of the Long Beach City Council at a date and time yet to be determined, in the weeks following the conclusion of the drawing. There will be one winning home in each of the City’s nine Council Districts.
According to Matt Lyons, Director of Conservation and Planning for the Long Beach Water Department, "southern California’s drinking water supplies have been permanently reduced over the last few years. We must lower our demand down to where it's roughly equal to our supply. One of the best ways to do this is by reducing our landscape irrigation." In southern California, landscape typically consumes huge amounts of water: roughly half the water used in the average home goes to landscape. "There’s a lot of room for improvement on how southern Californian’s irrigate their yards," added Lyon’s.
"To give people an idea on the amount of water we can save by changing our approach to landscape and outdoor irrigation, you need only look at the water saved by Long Beach residents this year," stated John Allen, President of the Board of Water Commissioners. "We’ve set record 10-year lows for water consumption in eight of the last eleven months, and we’ll set a new 10-year record low for the year. These records can be attributed to changes in attitudes and behavior in water use outside the home. This is obviously a focus we would like to sustain, for the long-term."
The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners recently announced that August 2008 was the eighth record setting month for low water consumption this year. August water demand was 19 percent below the 10-year average water demand; it was over 18 percent below August 2007. Long Beach water demand for fiscal year 2008 is currently tracking at 9 percent below the 10-year average for annual water use.
On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. The Declaration was necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California; the dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California; and climate conditions resulting in drought.
"Through the Opportunity Drawing we hope to raise awareness of an important and exciting new concept in landscape, Beautiful Long Beach Landscape, and most importantly, support and complement our on-going efforts to re-engineer the way we think about and use water," according to Matt Lyons,
The innovation of the colorful Beautiful Long Beach Landscape comes from the fact that it reduces landscape water needs by 80 percent or more while at the same time reduces the harmful impact urban water run-off has on our coastal marine habitat, beautifies our neighborhoods, reduces yard maintenance, and improves our quality of life.
Details on the drawing can be found at www.lbwater.org, or residents may call (562) 570-2300.
The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California, retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.
Friday, April 4, 2008
No Fooling: Reserves 30% Below Last Year
Northern California water supply reservoirs have been rapidly depleted this year to meet California’s demand for water, due to the effects of record drought. In fact, the volume of water stored in these critical supply reservoirs is, collectively, 2.6 million-acre-feet (30 percent) less today then at this time last year. Despite this year’s average snow pack in the Sierra Mountains, the California Department of Water Resources has recently announced that water deliveries to the Bay Area, the Central Valley and to southern California "will be far below normal this year," due to a recent Federal court ruling which has significantly restricted pumping in the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta.
"What this means is that we’ve essentially moved into a world where even in NORMAL years, we don’t have enough water," said Kevin L. Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. "Southern California is currently positioning itself for catosptrophic failure in the event of a protracted drought."
Earlier this month, during a joint Senate Committee hearing held in Sacramento, Roger Patterson, Assistant General Manager with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), read a prepared statement into the record, stating that his agency "is rapidly depleting its existing water supply reserves with no relief in sight." The MWD wholesales imported water supplies to communities throughout southern California, who are dependent on these imported supplies. Fifty percent of Long Beach’s water supply is purchased from the MWD.
Just last week, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioner renewed their call for immediate, extraordinary conservation. "We need to engineer a permanent lifestyle change in the way we all see and use our water, so that inefficient and wasteful uses are no longer tolerated by anyone," stated Bill Townsend, the Commission’s President. "The only way a successful effort is going to be sustained, is if we have all of Southern California on board."
Since June of last year, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners has implemented extraordinary conservation measures, including enforcement of new citywide restrictions on certain outdoor uses of water. These efforts have achieved an additional 8 percent reduction in water use citywide through February of this year.
The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.
"What this means is that we’ve essentially moved into a world where even in NORMAL years, we don’t have enough water," said Kevin L. Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. "Southern California is currently positioning itself for catosptrophic failure in the event of a protracted drought."
Earlier this month, during a joint Senate Committee hearing held in Sacramento, Roger Patterson, Assistant General Manager with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), read a prepared statement into the record, stating that his agency "is rapidly depleting its existing water supply reserves with no relief in sight." The MWD wholesales imported water supplies to communities throughout southern California, who are dependent on these imported supplies. Fifty percent of Long Beach’s water supply is purchased from the MWD.
Just last week, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioner renewed their call for immediate, extraordinary conservation. "We need to engineer a permanent lifestyle change in the way we all see and use our water, so that inefficient and wasteful uses are no longer tolerated by anyone," stated Bill Townsend, the Commission’s President. "The only way a successful effort is going to be sustained, is if we have all of Southern California on board."
Since June of last year, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners has implemented extraordinary conservation measures, including enforcement of new citywide restrictions on certain outdoor uses of water. These efforts have achieved an additional 8 percent reduction in water use citywide through February of this year.
The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.
Meet Dog, the Water Cop...like a freight train
The Long Beach Water Department, joined by marketing partners LBPost.com; The Surfrider Foundation; JustinRudd.com and Professor Alan Jacobs of California State University Long Beach’s Film & Electronic Arts Department, is inviting the world to submit 30-second videos on the need to Stop Wasting Water. One video will be selected by the Long Beach Water Department, and its marketing partners, as the Best Overall Video and used as one of the Department's key public service announcements to run locally, on 14 different cable television networks this summer.
In September of last year, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners made an official Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage triggering new, citywide prohibitions on certain uses of water, particularly outdoor water use. Approximately sixty percent of all the water used in Los Angeles County is used outdoors, primarily on non-native landscapes. The Board’s September 2007 Declaration was a direct result of record drought, rapid depletion of in-State water supply reserves, and a Federal court ruling to mitigate environmental impacts in California’s Bay Delta, which is a key imported water supply source for southern California.
To be considered, videos should be original, no longer than 30-seconds and use the phrase, "Stop Wasting Water," at least once. All videos will be judged on their potential to affect a permanent lifestyle change in the way people think about and use their water, so that inefficient and wasteful uses are no longer tolerated. The Best Overall Video will be announced on Friday, May 2, 2008.
To have your video considered, upload it HERE, or at www.youtube.com/group/waterwaster.
In September of last year, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners made an official Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage triggering new, citywide prohibitions on certain uses of water, particularly outdoor water use. Approximately sixty percent of all the water used in Los Angeles County is used outdoors, primarily on non-native landscapes. The Board’s September 2007 Declaration was a direct result of record drought, rapid depletion of in-State water supply reserves, and a Federal court ruling to mitigate environmental impacts in California’s Bay Delta, which is a key imported water supply source for southern California.
To be considered, videos should be original, no longer than 30-seconds and use the phrase, "Stop Wasting Water," at least once. All videos will be judged on their potential to affect a permanent lifestyle change in the way people think about and use their water, so that inefficient and wasteful uses are no longer tolerated. The Best Overall Video will be announced on Friday, May 2, 2008.
To have your video considered, upload it HERE, or at www.youtube.com/group/waterwaster.
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