Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Water on the Brain

By Chip Young

Coalition pushes for water supply efficiency

In current times, focusing on how to wisely save more money is critical.  It is equally as important to concentrate on conserving Rhode Island’s most important natural resource—water.

There is a feeling at the State House and among advocates for a safe and efficient water supply system that this will be the year that consensus is reached and something is actually achieved, rather than ending up in a snarl over minor points when everyone is in agreement over key issues like conservation.  If you share those concerns, you would do well to keep an eye on the water ball this session as it bounces its way through the budget crisis landscape, and make sure folks at the General Assembly know it is an issue that can’t be ignored.

Representative Frank Ferri submitted legislation on March 3 aimed at encouraging conservation, protecting the natural resources that make up the state’s shared water system, maintaining the competitive economic edge that Rhode Island’s water provides, ensuring fair pricing and supporting the upkeep and operation of the water infrastructure.

The bill, the Water Conservation and Competitiveness Act, will accomplish three important goals simultaneously:
• Improve efficiency in the state’s water use—conservation is the fastest and cheapest way to make more water available for economic activity.
• Ensure availability of water for priority uses such as economic development, drinking water, farming and firefighting.
• Deliver the water Rhode Islanders need for priority uses while protecting natural resources that support economic activity and make Rhode Island such an attractive place to live.
“Action on improving Rhode Island’s water supply system is needed because summer water demand is significantly higher than winter demand, driven primarily by residential outdoor use,” said Representative Ferri, a Democrat who represents District 22 in Warwick.  “This increased summer use is taxing our rivers and streams, and it is pushing us to look for new and expensive sources of water.  Conserving water should be a top priority for all Rhode Islanders, because it can contribute to economic growth while still protecting our environment.  We need to have a concrete plan that balances our needs with our resources, and have a system that encourages everyone in the state to help make it work.  With this bill, we can do that.”
According to the Coalition for Water Security, a partnership of 17 leading Rhode Island public interest organizations (of which I am a member, full disclosure), the Water Conservation and Competitiveness Act will allow water suppliers to improve the efficiency of water use, especially for residential outdoor use in the summer.  It also allows water suppliers to charge more for wasteful water use, providing incentives for efficiency and increasing fairness for use of the shared resource, and provides for economical rate structures that make a basic level of residential use affordable.  Water suppliers will also be able to save consumers money and make water delivery more reliable by establishing a funding mechanism that will allow for maintenance and infrastructure repair on a “pay as you go” basis. 

Representative Ferri’s proposals grow from concerns in his own city.  Lawn watering is blamed for water use levels that often double in the summer, and has been known to triple during that season.  That demand comes at a time when water availability is at its lowest.

“We must capitalize on the potential competitive economic advantage that our water supply affords the state,” added Representative Ferri.  “Conservation is the key to maintaining that edge in the business world, while still protecting the natural resources that make the state a wonderful place to live and visit.”

This makes the second straight year that Representative Ferri has sponsored legislation at the behest of the Coalition for Water Security, and with high hopes, as the Coalition has been working with legislators, water suppliers, state agencies and the agriculture community to hone a bill that meets everyone’s needs as well as possible.  It’s time to break through the political dam, and damn well get something done.