I have sat on the sidelines for far too long with a thirst for change. For months, I have watched the citizens of San Diego County, despite being in a dramatic water emergency, waste the now precious commodity with reckless disregard for the consequences. It’s about time that something is done about the population that simply thinks that they are above helping out the county by conserving water.

Article 10, Section two of the California Constitution says waters of the state are to be put to beneficial use, that waste, unreasonable use, or unreasonable method of use of water be prevented, and that water be conserved for the public welfare.

With San Diego on a Level 2 Drought Alert as of June 1, I see no noticeable changes. Every day, before the start of summer class, at Grossmont College, I would stop into the restroom where I was greeted by the soothing sounds of water running from a sink that had no one in front of it.

At my job in Clairemont, I sit and stare out the window at residents watering their already dead lawns for close to an hour and washing their cars with an endless deluge of water without stopping to think about what they are doing.

With the level two alert issued in June came a list of restrictions on water usage and a clearly defined schedule of when residents could water their lawns and wash their cars, all of which are being ignored both by the residents and those who should be enforcing the guidelines.

When talks first arose about the inevitable water problem we were going to have, there was immediate uproar about what San Diego was going to do to regulate water usage. At the height of those regulations was a monetary penalty. If residents exceeded their water ration, they were to receive a substantial fine.

Now, taking a look at the city around me, I wonder what happened to the backbone that was supposed to enforce this regulation. The city shouldn’t have to go as far as fining people and businesses for excessive water use. People should be able to logically think when we are short on water, we cut back on how much we use. This isn’t happening.
Some may view water conservation as requiring a large amount of effort, but even small things can save large amounts of water with little effort or inconvenience.

Easy things such as turning off the water while you brush your teeth can save 4 gallons of water per minute, according to the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association. That translates into a savings of about 200 gallons per week for a house of four. In addition, shortening your showers to fewer than five minutes can save 1,000 gallons of water in a month. So for those who think conservation requires more effort, it actually just requires you to use less and do less.

The problem with people conserving this currently priceless commodity is not that people aren’t informed, but because political ideologies intrude into common sense issues such as this. For example, my conservative roommate once told me that he didn’t care about the wasted water that he used to hose off the incredibly dirty patio as opposed to the aqua-free method of sweeping it off.

It is common to see conservatives care less about the environment than liberals. Oil drilling in Alaska was a dream of former President George W. Bush. Profitability was favored over the negative effect it would have had on the environment. While it pains me to say that politics has intruded on water conservation, it is a reality that must be faced.

Politics has no place in a resource emergency such as this. The scarcity of water is a reality and if we don’t put our ideologies aside, our need for water will be left with nowhere to turn. Turn off a faucet here and there. Wash your cars and water your lawns either early in the morning or later in the evening to avoid losing too much water by evaporation. If we all do our part, no harsh measures will need to be implemented.

However, if people can’t conserve water on their own, then it is the City of San Diego’s responsibility to step in and find a more severe way to deter people from wasting water needlessly 8212; even if that means fines for exceeding quotas.

8212;T.J. Bronson is a journalism and finance senior.

8212;This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to opinion@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed 8212; include your full name, major and year in school.