PropertyValue
?:author
?:datePublished
  • 2018-06-04 (xsd:date)
?:headline
  • Is It Now Against the Law in California to Shower and Do Laundry on the Same Day? (en)
?:inLanguage
?:itemReviewed
?:mentions
?:reviewBody
  • On 3 June 2018, multiple web sites falsely reported that it is now against the law for Californians to shower and do laundry on the same day, thanks to supposedly draconian water conservation legislation signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown. For example, the conspiratorial web site ZeroHedge reported that: The bills in question, Senate Bill 606 and Assembly Bill 1668, were indeed signed into law by Governor Brown on 31 May 2018 (and Brown has indeed reached his term limit as governor). Neither bill, however, carries language penalizing consumers for taking a shower and doing laundry on the same day. Instead, they outline conservation mandates for water districts and municipalities, and water agencies can be fined if they fail to meet conservation goals (but not until 2027). Overall, Californians will have to use less water in a state that has been plagued by persistent droughts, and this is not a new concept to locals. Residents had to slash water use during a historic five-year drought that ended in April 2017. Jim Metropulos, legislative director for California State Assemblywoman Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) who authored 1668, told us the legislation sets water efficiency goals for water districts and municipalities on the territorial level, but it does not regulate what individual Californians or businesses can and can't do: There is nothing in this bill to target households or companies. Water use objectives are on territory-level of a water agency. There is nothing regulating the time a person may shower or when they may or may not do laundry. (The penalty of up to $1,000 per day for excessive water use referenced in many alarmist articles on this subject applies to urban retail water suppliers, not to individual customers.) The legislation instead will prompt water agencies to set methods and goals for reducing per capita water use over time, starting in 2022. In a statement released by Brown's office, the governor said the legislation is meant to brace the state for the next water shortage: According the San Jose Mercury News, water agencies can take steps such as incentivizing water conservation by encouraging customers to do away with thirsty lawns and installing drought-resistant landscaping: Given that the average shower uses about 17.2 gallons of water, while most high-efficiency clothes washers use only 15 to 30 gallons of water per load, most California residents (depending upon their personal habits and the efficiency of their home appliances and water fixtures) shouldn't find it too difficult to accommodate a daily shower and a daily laundry load while staying within the 55 gallons per person per day guideline. But either way, nothing in either legislative bill specifically levies fines against customers who do laundry and shower on the same day. (en)
?:reviewRating
rdf:type
?:url