Drought in California is in its third year and its grip is tightening. Farmers are letting land sit and selling off livestock where there is not enough water while urban areas are also researching ways to cut back on water use.While the Coachella Valley area is not exactly urban, it is well-populated and is an international vacation destination, due primarily to its golf opportunities. In the Palm Springs area along, there are 124 golf courses - and they are very thirsty.A golf course is a major water consumer for any public utility and here that usage is multiplied by 124. An estimated 1 million gallons of water per day is needed for each facility adding up to about a quarter of all the water used by the area.Heavy water usage has long been a custom in Palm Springs. The municipal rates are low and the local aquifer has provided a cushion for water from the Colorado River and other sources which trickle through underground passages. But it is becoming obvious that more water is being used than is being replenished each year. The level in the aquifer is going down and incoming water is decreasing. The steady decline in water levels is a source of concern for all.So what should Palm Springs do? Golf courses may use an inordinate amount of water but they sustain the local economy. The community and the courses need to work together to find answers. Area courses have pledged to reduce water usage by 10% by 2020. A sustainable solution will include many strategies: outside, replacing some turf with desert landscapes, discovering what the minimum levels of irrigation might be and using recycled water are some options. Indoor water usage accounts for another quarter of total area consumption. While each home or business decides how water will be used there, one advantageous conservation strategy is to install waterless urinals. While this will not solve the bigger problem, it is a smart contribution.Each toilet flush uses from 1.5 to 3 gallons of water. EachUrimat Waterless Urinal saves this amount many times over, during the average day at the 19th hole. It uses simple gravity to drain and is odorless. As water levels are steadily declining, this is a product that will become even more useful as time goes on.
