California is currently experiencing one of the most severe
droughts on record. In January 2014 Governor Brown declared a
drought State of Emergency and directed state officials to take
all necessary actions to prepare for water shortages. Governor
Brown issued an extension of that executive order in November
2015, calling for additional actions to build on the state’s
ongoing response to record dry conditions.
California is just entering the warmer months of the year and
already 65% of the state is experiencing some level of drought in
the first week of May 2018. The
U.S. Drought Monitor shows the range of conditions throughout
the state.
As California’s historic drought continues, Governor Brown has
signed a number of bills to help boost water conservation,
strengthen groundwater management and improve water quality. The
press release and listing of bills can be viewed at https://www.gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=19159.
In April, Governor Brown announced the first-ever 25 percent
statewide mandatory water reductions and a series of actions to
help save water, increase enforcement to prevent wasteful water
use, streamline the state’s drought response and invest in new
technologies that will make California more drought resilient.
Californians have responded with unprecedented conservation
efforts, exceeding the Governor’s water reduction order in each
of the past three months. To learn more about the state’s drought
response, visit: Drought.CA.Gov. Every Californian should take
steps to conserve water. Find out how at SaveOurWater.com.
The State Water Resources Control Board – responsible for
directing urban water suppliers to develop rate structures and
other pricing mechanisms that maximize water conservation
consistent with statewide water use restrictions – has
solicited comments on the effectiveness of conservation water
pricing. While many water suppliers have established rate
structures and pricing mechanisms to incentivize water
conservation, additional opportunities to increase water savings
remain.
Last Friday, the California Building Standards Commission voted
to adopt emergency regulations that limit potable water use for
outdoor irrigation at California hospitals and skilled-nursing
facilities, making them more water efficient. Amending the 2013
California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen), the new
emergency regulations went in to effect June 1 and are
enforceable by local and state agencies.
On Saturday, April 18, the State Water Resources Control Board
(SWRCB) released draft emergency regulations pertaining to the
drought and emergency water conservation. Comments are due April
22 (a very brief comment period because they are emergency
regulations). CHA is working with its Emergency Management
Advisory Committee and the California Society of Healthcare
Engineers (CSHE) Executive Committee to review and respond to the
draft emergency regulations. Prior to the draft regulations, the
SWRCB released a draft framework on April 7.
It is important to note that the draft regulations are being
imposed on water suppliers to achieve a statewide 25 percent
reduction in potable urban usage through Feb. 28, 2016. The draft
regulations also propose a nine-tiered process to more equitably
allocate the conservation savings necessary to reach the
statewide 25 percent reduction.
Hospitals are urged to actively engage with their local water
supplier by educating them on the hospital’s needs and letting
them know how the facility can conserve water. The proposed
regulations, along with a corresponding fact sheet and the
proposed regulatory framework tiers (including a list of urban
water suppliers) are attached.
Yesterday, Gov. Brown issued a new executive order (B-29-15)
directing the first ever statewide mandatory water reduction. The
order requires a 25 percent reduction in water usage across the
state and emphasizes saving water, increasing enforcement and
streamlining government response. Given this is the fourth year
of the drought, hospitals having been conserving water in a
variety of ways, using both short-term and long-term conservation
strategies.
“As California enters a fourth year of severe drought, the State
Water Resources Control Board Tuesday adopted an expanded
emergency regulation to safeguard the state’s remaining water
supplies.
“We are experiencing the lowest snowpack and the driest January
in recorded history, and communities around the state are already
suffering severely from the prior three years of drought,” said
State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus. “If the drought continues
through next winter and we do not conserve more — the
consequences could be even more catastrophic than they already
are. Today’s action is just a tune-up and a reminder to act, and
we will consider more significant actions in the weeks to come.”
With California facing one of the most severe droughts on record,
Governor Brown declared a drought State of Emergency in January
and directed state officials to take all necessary actions to
prepare for water shortages. The state has continued to lead the
way to make sure California is able to cope with an unprecedented
drought.
With California facing water shortfalls in the driest year in
recorded state history, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today
proclaimed a State of Emergency and directed state officials to
take all necessary actions to prepare for these drought
conditions.
In the State of Emergency declaration, Governor Brown directed
state officials to assist farmers and communities that are
economically impacted by dry conditions and to ensure the state
can respond if Californians face drinking water shortages. The
Governor also directed state agencies to use less water and hire
more firefighters and initiated a greatly expanded water
conservation public awareness campaign.
Due to the unprecedented drought California is facing, CHA has
requested an update to a report it originally commissioned in
2009 titled Water Conservation in California: Feasible Options.
The report, prepared by Capital Engineering Consultants, provides
hospitals with a range of options for conserving water, from
low-cost practices that are easy to implement to more substantial
initiatives for consideration during a major retrofit or the
construction of a new hospital.
The attached Guidelines for Developing Best Practices to Assist
California Hospitals in Preparing for and Responding to a Water
Disruption may be used for any hospital water disruption planning
activities.
These guidelines were drafted under the CHA Hospital Preparedness
Program with participation from a work group which was comprised
of hospital representatives and state regulatory agencies.
The guidelines address:
Overview of a hospital water disruption
The hospital water supply planning team
Conducting a water use audit
Role of California Regulatory Agencies in a water disruption
Water disruption standards and regulations
Coordinating with the community response to a water
disruption
The guidelines contain links to federal and state references and
include six attachments which provide additional information and
check lists to assist hospitals with water disruption planning
and response.
2014 Water Shortage Preparedness Survey Results
Report
Water shortage response planning is an important responsibility,
and response programs are effective when public water systems
have demand-reduction strategies in place before severe shortages
occur.
Emergency Water Supply Planning Guide for
Hospitals
Provides information on how to prepare for, respond to, and
recover from a water supply interruption; developed jointly by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American
Water Works Association (AWWA).
Addresses drinking water and waste water safety, security, and
preparedness; collaborative project between the Metropolitan
Chicago Healthcare Council & U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) Region 5
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) is the
largest statewide coalition of public water agencies in the
country. Its nearly 440 public agency members collectively are
responsible for 90% of the water delivered to cities, farms and
businesses in California.
This tool highlights some of the impacts of a water interruption
and poses questions to ask to help you prepare for an
interruption. Additionally, it provides some information on
existing resources that can help you develop and implement your
preparedness strategy, including information related to the Joint
Commission Emergency Management Standards for hospitals to have a
plan to respond to a 96-hour disruption of service for all
utilities, including water and wastewater services.
