All of California is caught in a terrible drought, the worst in recorded history.
Ground water is tapped dry. The hills are turning brown, as trees, grass and shrubs parch in the sun. Wildlife are suffering and dying.
I know a friend who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area who conscientiously saves all her “grey” water to water her plants, takes 4-minute “Navy” showers 3 times a week, as well as other water conservation measures.
But the very affluent residents of Rancho Santa Fe in San Diego County not only have not decreased their water consumption as all Californians have been asked to, they’ve actually increased their water use.
Robb Juznia reports for The Washington Post, June 13, 2015, that the ultra-wealthy enclave of Rancho Santa Fe, a bucolic Southern California hamlet of ranches, gated communities and country clubs, guzzles five times more water per capita than the statewide average. In April, after Gov. Jerry Brown (D) called for a 25% reduction in water use, consumption in Rancho Santa Fe went up by 9%.
The wealthy residents of Rancho Santa Fe believe that, drought or no drought, if you can pay for it, you should get your water and use as much as you damn well please.
Steve Yuhas is one of them. He fumed recently on social media that people “should not be forced to live on property with brown lawns, golf on brown courses or apologize for wanting their gardens to be beautiful.” He added in an interview, “We pay significant property taxes based on where we live. And, no, we’re not all equal when it comes to water.”
But a moment of truth is at hand for Yuhas and his neighbors, and all of California will be watching: On July 1, for the first time in its 92-year history, Rancho Santa Fe will be subject to water rationing.
Jessica Parks, spokeswoman for the Santa Fe Irrigation District, which provides water service to Rancho Santa Fe and other parts of San Diego County, said, ““It’s no longer a ‘You can only water on these days’ ” situation. It’s now more of a ‘This is the amount of water you get within this billing period. And if you go over that, there will be high penalties.’ ”
So far, the community’s 3,100 residents have not felt the wrath of the water police. Authorities have issued only three citations for violations of a first round of rather mild water restrictions announced last fall. But in a place where the median income is $189,000, where PGA legend Phil Mickelson once requested a separate water meter for his chipping greens, where financier Ralph Whitworth last month paid the Rolling Stones $2 million to play at a local bar, the fine for excessive water use, at $100, was less than intimidating.
All that is about to change, however. Under the new rules, each household will be assigned an essential allotment for basic indoor needs. Any additional usage — sprinklers, fountains, swimming pools — must be slashed by nearly half for the district to meet state-mandated targets. Residents who exceed their allotment could see their already sky-high water bills triple.
And for ultra-wealthy customers undeterred by financial penalties, the district reserves the right to install flow restrictors — quarter-size disks that make it difficult to, say, shower and do a load of laundry at the same time. In extreme cases, the district could shut off the tap altogether.
The restrictions are among the toughest in the state, and residents of Rancho Santa Fe are feeling aggrieved.
Gay Butler, an interior designer out for a trail ride on her show horse, Bear, grumbled that “I think we’re being overly penalized, and we’re certainly being overly scrutinized by the world.” Her water bill averages about $800 a month.
Rancho Santa Fe residents are hardly the only Californians facing a water crackdown. On Friday, the state said it would impose sharp cutbacks on senior water rights dating back to the Gold Rush for the first time in four decades, a move that primarily hits farmers. And starting this month, all of California’s 400-plus water districts are under orders to reduce flow by at least 8% from 2013 levels. Top water users such as Rancho Santa Fe are required to cut consumption by 36%.
But the super-rich who are determined to use as much water as they want are being hurt in another way — the drought has dampened demand for large estates in San Diego County.
Large estates with huge lawns and gardens are now a liability rather than a selling point. One seller has seen the value of his nine-acre plot plummet from $30 million to $22 million.
See also “The grass IS greener in Hollywood: Aerial photos expose how stars are wasting water to keep their gardens lush despite state’s worst drought in history“.
~Éowyn