Thursday November 20, 2014 The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton Volume 96 Issue 45 California running dry One of the worst droughts in California history lacks context with public and policymakers, professor says FRANCISCO REYES Daily Titan Putting an issue as expansive as the current drought in California into context is no small task. Add uninformed policy makers, and a public that doesn’t grasp the severity of the is- sue, that task becomes even more difficult. Part of the difficulty of framing the current drought is the fact that it isn’t the first in Cal- ifornia history, or even the worst, said Phool- endra Mishra, Ph.D., professor of civil and en- vironmental engineering. There have been far more severe droughts that occurred well before climate change became an issue, he said. The cavalier outlook of most Californians in the face of the drought is a source of frustra- tion, he said. “The general public doesn’t understand the severeness of this drought,” he said. “They think it’s okay–because we still drink water [they think] everything is fine. You see green lawns with the sprinklers running, and people are not seeing [the big picture].” There have been worse droughts in Califor- nia’s past, he said, but it’s still important for the public to understand the severity of the drought and act accordingly in their everyday lives, and equally important that public officials take the same considerations into account during the policymaking process. Matthew Kirby, Ph.D., associate professor of geology, also aims to put the severity of the cur- rent drought into larger context. Kirby recently took the lead as author of a paper published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews. SEE CONTEXT 3 2014 was the driest year since 1924 and the hottest year on record in CALIFORNIA MIKE TRUJILLO / DAILY TITAN CSUF saves water with succulents CSUF spends about $250,000 are less thirsty. better than other plants for a to implement drought-tolerant The university has spent given amount of water they landscaping on campus about $250,000 to date to re- use. place grass with drought-tol- But some of the plants cho- KATHERINE PICAZO erant landscapes, including the sen for the new gardens—ge- Daily Titan cost of drip irrigation, accord- raniums, bougainvillea and ing to Facilities Operations. carpet roses—will need to be In face of one of the worst Some of the new plantings watered much more frequent- droughts in California’s histo- include Chitalpa pink dawn, ly than the native plants, Sand- ry, Cal State Fullerton is re- Desert Museum palo verde, quist said. placing swaths of grass with Mexican bird of paradise and “They are making a big ef- drought-tolerant landscapes to feather grass, salvia leucan- fort to have better water con- meet the state mandate of re- tha, lantana, agave, dwarf bou- servation on campus,” he said. ducing water use by 20 per- gainvillea and geraniums. “One of the things they are do- cent by 2020. “Succulents are the best ing are to create landscapes About 60 percent of the uni- choice for this kind of that recapture water, instead of versity’s water use is for irriga- (drought-resistant landscap- letting it run off.” tion. Last year, the university ing) because you could water Bioswales, which collect consumed 111 million gallons them infrequently, they will runoff water, are something of water at an estimated cost take it up efficiently, they will that could help retain the wa- of about $360,000. store it and will remain alive ter and work to irrigate the Since the mid-’90s, the uni- and green even if you don’t plants by creating a reservoir versity has been pursuing wa- water them for months,” said KATHERINE PICAZO / DAILY TITAN of water in the soil, Sandquist ter conservation efforts includ- Professor of Biological Sci- Cal State Fullerton recently replaced several large lawns on campus with drought-tolerant plants said. ing the installation of low flow ence Jochen Schenk, Ph.D. featuring water-saving plants, like the succulent pictured above. Due to its scope, the recent or waterless fixtures in some Compared to drought-re- expansion of drought-tolerant locations. sistant plants used in what is that are notorious for water make it beautiful,” Schenk have. landscaping may bring more Recently, the universi- called “xeriscaping,” lawns wasting. said. The new plant palette was attention to the practice, but it ty expanded its efforts in are extremely wasteful, “Our campus is really de- Darren Sandquist, Ph.D., selected based on color and is something that the univer- drought-tolerant landscaping. Schenk said. voted to sustainability … so I professor of biological science, drought-tolerance, said Greg sity has been doing since the Areas of grass by Langsdorf However, Schenk said the think what would be a really said the university went with Keil, Cal State Fullerton’s turn of the millenium, said Hall, the Titan Student union university went with a very good statement for our cam- a plant palette that was some- landscape manager. Willem van der Pol, director and the Education Classroom “half-hearted” statement on pus is to have a display of real where in between not wasting Drought-adapted plants of facilities operations. Building have been uprooted water-saving design by using xeriscaping out there with cac- a lot of water and still provid- have a high water-use efficien- and replaced with plants that some desert trees with roses ti, agave and desert trees and ing the beauty they wanted to cy, which means they grow SEE PLANTS 3 FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @THEDAILYTITAN VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM PAGE 2 NOVEMBER 20, 2014 THURSDAY NEWS Toilet to tap provides drought solutions System has produced more The replenishment process than 135 billion gallons of consists of three filtration water since its inception steps–microfiltration, reverse osmosis and treatment with AMBER UDDIN hydrogen peroxide and ultra- Daily Titan violet light. The first step passes the Toilet to tap may not be water through microscopic the most appealing name fibers to separate out any re- for a water replenishing sys- maining solids, bacteria and tem, but it’s adding millions some viruses. of gallons of drinking water Following that, it moves for Orange County residents on to a reverse osmosis pro- to use. cess where high pressure The constant need for new forces the water through mo- fresh water is being met in lecular membranes made of part by recycling waste water plastic. to use as safe drinking wa- This second stage removes ter for thirsty cities. Without dissolved chemicals, viruses processes to recharge incom- and pharmaceuticals still in ing rainwater, much of the the water. local underground sources Finally, the water is treat- would be in danger of run- ed with ultraviolet light and ning low. hydrogen peroxide to rid it of Orange County Sanita- any organic compounds that tion and Water Districts have may still remain. made water recycling safer The water is then sent than ever with the Ground- into the Orange County Wa- water Replenishment Sys- ter Basin where it is mixed COURTESY OF MAYA SUGERMAN FOR KPCC tem, a filtration system that with imported water, rainwa- From right to left, water is purified using the three-part GWR process, taking impure water and making it drinkable. turns sewer water into clean ter and water from the San- drinking water, said Gina ta Ana River to increase the basin, which provides wa- construction to increase its cost-effective and environ- executive director of plan- Ayala, principal communica- local drinking water supply, ter for over two million peo- output. Alone, it is enough to mentally friendly options ning and natural resources at tions specialist at the Orange Ayala said. ple in Orange County, Ayala sustain 850,000 people. This available. the OC Water District. County Water District. The process results in said. is only an initial expansion North county cities like Groundwater will eventu- Initially, waste water is drinking water that meets The basin currently pro- of the system’s capacity–in Fullerton get water from OC ally run out, meaning other treated at the Orange County or exceeds state and feder- vides 70 million gallons of its final expansion it will be Water District’s groundwater solutions like an increased Sanitation District to remove al drinking water standards, water a day, a number that is able to produce 130 million source at about a third of the use of stormwater, desalina- impurities in a multi-step according to the OC Water expected to grow to 100 mil- gallons per day. cost of what South OC pays tion and continued conser- process. From there, it is sent District. lion gallons a day next year. If the drought persists, per acre-foot (326,000 gal- vation will still be necessary on to the replenishment sys- The water district man- The replenishment sys- this method of water treat- lons) of their imported water, long-term methods of ad- tem for further treatment. ages the OC groundwater tem is currently undergoing ment will be one of the most according to Greg Woodside, dressing the water shortage. FOR THE RECORD It is Daily Titan policy to correct factual errors printed in the publication. Corrections will be published on the sub- sequent issue after an error is discovered and will appear Growing the future of food on page 2. Errors on the Opinion page will be corrected on Brea farm uses fish to fertilize has recruited several scien- has now affected more than it takes to create a serving that page.