California's Drought Brings Renewed Focus on Water Conservation
Southern California Edison uses reclaimed water and other measures to aid in the efforts.
Originally published in Edison Newsroom
Even before California Gov. Jerry Brown announced the first mandatory water restrictions in state history, Dan Arrighi, water resources manager at the San Gabriel Valley Water Company, was “searching every nook and cranny to find ways to save water.”
Though he and his counterparts at water agencies statewide have been battling drought conditions for years, the proposed restrictions are unprecedented and will greatly increase the need to conserve water.
“All the different water companies are comparing notes about what we need to do,” Arrighi said.
Southern California Edison’s (SCE) Rosemead headquarters sits in the San Gabriel Valley Water Company’s service territory. Landscaping surrounding nearly all SCE buildings in Rosemead has been irrigated with reclaimed water since 2010. The move has helped save an average of 2.9 million gallons of drinking water each month.
Edison’s move was “very helpful for lowering per capita use of potable water” for his agency, said Arrighi.
SCE uses other methods to reduce water usage at its facilities across its 50,000-square-mile territory. Its Mountainview power plant in San Bernardino County uses only non-potable water for cooling operations.
