Good News from Drought Country

"The author of this Forbes piece points out that the drought has spawned some beneficial initiatives..."

Just like fun-employment?

I'm sorry... what?

"Is there a bright side to the terrible California drought? The author of this Forbes piece points out that the drought has spawned some beneficial initiatives, such as San Francisco's plan to put smart water meters in about 180,000 homes and businesses, a move that could help the city meet its water conservation goal."

How does a new government burden mandate being placed on the populace constitute a bright side? Seems to me to simply be more power grab.

And please, just how does a 'Smart Meter' conserve water?

It restricts flow as needed to the poor and financially challenged....so the rich can keep their bidets at proper height....

"how does a 'Smart Meter' conserve water"? Good question.

Well, we have a smart electric meter. After the novelty of watching the digital display cycle through the various usage numbers, takes about 2 weeks, the touted savings were never considered again and we didn't change a single usage habit.

I'll hazard an uneducated guess that our meter cost $600.00 to install and put into service. Not sure who picked up the tab for this.

I'm reminded of the family who would be fined $500.00 by a California city if their lawn turned brown and fined $500.00 by the same city if they used water to keep it green.

SE has it right.

"takes about 2 weeks"

:-)

"Not sure who picked up the tab for this."

Are you still dizzy from watching that meter? We all paid for that.

Actually, it probably was an investment that will eventually pay off (probably will take 2X the time the management promised), but it saves a lot of footwork reading meters.

Saves money, maybe, because it does away with humans who want to be paid for their time.

Then there's always this:

Customers says OG&E Smart Meters making them sick ...

I am pretty sure that whatever they "have" was there long before the meters arrived.

Why not simply charge more per ft³ in the first place?

Is the California PSC not a government entity?

The only benefit I could see is if the water works people reviewed the usage rates to identify leaks in the customer's plumbing, e.g. a certain constant use regardless of time of day.

It is a Smart meter. They just make you pay more for water and the installer gets richer. That's Smart with me, they out witted 180000 people.

So will they now fix all their leaking ground infrastructure?

Correct me if I am wrong. Originally the city stole he water from farmers 150 miles away when they installed a water pipe line from the city to a river. The river killing of farming in that area. They then built a dam which subsequently collapsed and drowned a few hundred people and washed away homes. There was great trouble and people were blowing up the water pipe line running through the desert. That was a way back around 1890's and only now the city is doing something to save water, because it is not raining in the old catchment area. A smart meter will solve the problem? Just how smart is this meter if it took 90-100 years to invent?

What?

Pure gibberish, complete and utter nonsense.

Seriously, you saying gibberish? I think one needs to check some details. And the information was under correction!

The California Water Wars were a series of conflicts between the city of Los Angeles and farmers and ranchers in the Owens Valley of Eastern California. As Los Angeles grew in the late 1800s, it started to outgrow its water supply. Fred Eaton, mayor of Los Angeles, realized that water could flow from Owens Valley to Los Angeles via an aqueduct. The aqueduct construction was overseen by William Mulholland and was finished in 1913. The water rights were acquired through political fighting and, as described by one author, "chicanery, subterfuge ... and a strategy of lies.

First you said "Originally the city stole he water from farmers 150 miles away when they installed a water pipe line from the city to a river." Then you cited Wiki: "The California Water Wars were a series of conflicts between the city of Los Angeles and farmers and ranchers in the Owens Valley of Eastern California." San Francisco is being discussed, not Los Angeles. Have a look at the Spring Valley Water Company, and then check out the Hetch Hetchy reservoir and aquaduct system.

Then you said "The river killing of farming in that area." This is gibberish. What river? What farming? What area? Wikipedia: Gibberish.

Next you said "They then built a dam which subsequently collapsed and drowned a few hundred people and washed away homes." O'Shaughnessy Dam is operational, has been since its completion.

And then you said "There was great trouble and people were blowing up the water pipe line…" Never mind. Regarding the water supply for the City of San Francisco, this is gibberish.

The first posting was written under the influence of something. I couldn't make heads or tails out of it as well. However, at least the second posting was literate, even if the author didn't understand that San Francisco gets its water from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir after its water supplies were deemed inadequate from the results of the 1906 earthquake.

After, AP#1 did request that we correct it if it was wrong.