Water Shame Reporting in Silicon Valley

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Water Shame Reporting in Silicon Valley

San Jose launches program to send water usage reports to 21,000 homes

Homeowners often compare themselves with their neighbors: Who has the better lawn? Who has the bigger backyard?

But if San Jose residents knew they were using more water than their neighbors during California's crippling drought, would that make them pinch the hose a bit tighter?

That's the idea behind a new effort San Jose leaders announced Wednesday. San Jose is the latest Bay Area city to partner with WaterSmart Software, a program that monitors water usage and sends residents a report every other month comparing their consumption to homes of a similar size.

The software also allows residents to view their water consumption levels from 2013 on a mobile app and access personalized water-saving tips and leak notifications.

The Great Oaks Water Company, which serves part of San Jose from east of Snell Road to south of Monterey Road, has used the software since February for about 10,000 customers -- half of its service area. But the partnership announced Tuesday will expand the program to 21,000 new homes under the city's municipal water system.

San Jose will pay $68,000 to launch the WaterSmart program and the Santa Clara Valley Water District will put in $66,000. The technology will be rolled out beginning in September for a year-and-a-half.

The idea of comparing water usage isn't new and the positive "peer pressure" it creates has helped reduce consumption in cities such as Morgan Hill, Palo Alto and Mountain View.

Tim Guster, vice president and general counsel for Great Oaks Water Company, said WaterSmart helped the company meet its water reduction target of 30 percent since May. Guster said Greak Oaks now wants to expand the program to all its customers.

"It's been incredibly useful for us," Guster said. "Our customers are learning more about how they use water than ever before and that knowledge helps them decide where to cut back on water use."

Albert Beltran, a south San Jose resident, said having the WaterSmart system at his home has given him ideas on how to save water while raising two young children.

"It makes me feel like I'm doing my part in the drought while saving money," said Beltran, 38. "It's allowed us to be more conscious instead of watering indiscriminately."

WaterSmart, a San Francisco-based company, has only been around four years but already secured partnerships with about 40 other cities in seven states. CEO Robin Gilthorpe credits the company's success to letting customers see water usage in simple terms.

"They need to know how they're doing in terms they can understand. We tell people in gallons per day," Gilthorpe said.

Since most San Jose residents don't have smart meters, Mayor Sam Liccardo said the WaterSmart technology is critical in helping people grasp how much water they really use. "It enables a resident to understand that even though their shower is two minutes shorter every morning, they're still not saving enough water because their lawn is soaking up water six days a week," Liccardo said. "Those are the kinds of things that metrics enable residents to more clearly see."

And the comparison approach pushes residents to reduce usage by 5 percent on average, water district officials said.

"In the absence of this information, you're ignorant to the fact that you're using more than other homes the size of yours," said Marty Grimes, spokesman for the Santa Clara Valley Water District. "If you see you're not saving as much as other folks, there's natural motivation to adopt the social norm of saving water."

The San Jose Municipal Water System and Great Oaks Water Company each supply water to about 10 percent of the city. The rest is covered by the San Jose Water Company. WaterSmart officials say they're in discussions with San Jose Water Company to join the program and city officials are hoping it's successful enough to expand citywide.

"I think we have to see how it works," said Vice Mayor Rose Herrera said. "There are goals that have been touted by the company of 5 percent savings. I want to see if that can be achieved."

San Jose has declared an aggressive goal of reducing water usage by 30 percent relative to 2013, more than the 25 percent mandated by the governor. Though the city met its reduction target in May and June, Liccardo said it didn't in the previous months.

But San Jose is also launching other initiatives to save water during the drought, including recycling groundwater and a program that puts at-risk teens to work tearing out thirsty lawns and replacing them with drought-tolerant landscaping.

Source: Mercury News

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