Dive Brief:
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The construction of new homes could help Californians save water during the state’s four-year drought rather than strain its scarce water resources, San Bernardino County officials said at a conference Friday.
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Presenters at the San Bernardino County Water Conference cited a California Housing Foundation report that said new homes use 50% less indoor water than older ones. The report compared houses constructed in 2013 with those built in 1975.
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The officials said any effort by the state to limit homebuilding would be a “kiss of death” to the area’s economy.
Dive Insight:
Builders have worried that California’s water restrictions could threaten the state’s $39.6 billion homebuilding industry since the state last October barred more than 20 rural areas from approving new water taps — the connection between a home and its water source — until they could identify alternative or supplemental water sources.
Builders statewide have emphasized that the state would better conserve water if it focused its efforts on conservation in existing homes rather than in new ones, which are more water-efficient.
Because of the growing use of water-saving plumbing fixtures and appliances in construction, a new, three-bedroom, single-family home with four occupants consumes about half of the water than a typical family used in 1980, the California Building Industry estimates.
Still, builders have all but abandoned landscaping that includes water-intensive lawns and lush flower gardens, favoring rocks and desert plants instead. In addition, low-flow toilets and faucets are standard in new homes.
