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> opposition is from older folks from the 70s who are worried about "population" Absolutely yes and thanks for calling it out. Water is weaponized all over coa
by rcpt 5y ago
> opposition is from older folks from the 70s who are worried about "population"
Absolutely yes and thanks for calling it out. Water is weaponized all over coastal California. "There's not enough water here" is a very convincing argument to stop construction on new housing. Santa Cruz does the same thing as Monterrey as does Malibu.
The results are often horrible infrastructure with septic tanks leeching into creeks etc. but housing remains scarse which is a win for entrenched property owners
- jjav 5y ago> "There's not enough water here" is a very convincing argument to stop construction on new housing. Santa Cruz does the same thing as Monterrey as does Malibu. I don't know details of the others, but in Santa Cruz water sources are limited to rivers and one small reservoir (Loch Lomond) which is getting low. Concerns about water availability are very real. Without rain all of these could dry up. https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/government/city-departments/water/where-does-our-water-come-from https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/government/city-departments/...
- epistasis 5y agoBut the idea that new housing is connected to increased water usage does not, as they say, hold water. https://santacruzlocal.org/2021/02/15/does-more-housing-mean-more-water-demand-in-santa-cruz-county/ https://santacruzlocal.org/2021/02/15/does-more-housing-mean... As Santa Cruz's population has increased, water usage goes down. Replacing old inefficient single family homes with terrible appliances and plumbing, with 4x as many people in a multifamily building with highefficiency appliances and faucets, and modern landscaping, will likely reduce water consumption.