Health & Fitness
Saving Water in Mountain View
Where does Mountain View's water come from? And how can we save water every day?
Mountain View's Water Needs
Did you know that just 4% of Mountain View’s water comes from its own wells? Where does the rest come from? At 86%, the biggest source is the Hetch Hetchy Water System in Yosemite, 175 miles away! The rest comes from the Santa Clara Valley and the Sacramento basin.
Mountain View needs over 3.4 billion gallons of water every year to service its inhabitants. The city is located in the rain shadow of the Santa Cruz Mountains and has a lack of underground water stores. It therefore has to rely on snow melt from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Following the dry last winter, snow melt did not re-fill the reservoirs and the Bay Area is relying more on its stored water.
Global warming over the past decades has led to increased temperatures in the Bay Area, lower rainfall and less snow. This is causing drought conditions in much of the area but also has led to increased frequency and severity of wildfires.
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Saving Water in Mountain View
California has set a goal of reducing urban water use by 20% by the year 2020. What can you do to help reach that goal?
· Take shorter showers and shower less often!
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· Turn off the tap whilst brushing teeth or washing dishes
· Water the garden in the cooler hours of the morning or evening
· Plant drought-resistant native plants
· Wash full loads in the dishwasher and clothes washer
· Install water-efficient showers, toilets, dishwashers and washing machines
· Don’t wash your car yourself… take it to a water-conserving car-wash.
To help you out, the City of Mountain View has free water-conservation goodies and rebates available for installing water-saving appliances.
Go Vegetarian, Save Water
Did you know that the biggest water-saving step you can take is to change your diet? If you eat less meat and dairy, your individual water footprint can be reduced by thousands of gallons.
Think about it, producing one pound of beef takes about 1,800 gallons of water whereas growing a pound of vegetables takes just 43 gallons. And the water footprint of a vegetarian diet uses about a third less water than a meat eater’s diet. Changing to a vegetarian diet also reduces your overall carbon footprint, so it’s the eco-friendly way to go!
