Water Policy Essay

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Public Policy
Introduction
California is a large state with an increasing population, which results to increased use of resources, especially water for human consumption, industrial uses and irrigation. However, water has become a scarce resource in California with poor communities suffering the most from the shortage. Therefore, through public policy the state government sought a solution to the issue. As a result, it led to the adoption of the recycled water policy on 3 February 2009 (Martineau, 2013). The policy aims at providing reliable and clean water supply for the state. In addition, the policy conserves the availability of fresh water sources by reducing consumption of potable water. The policy has three goals. The first goal is to increase the use of storm water by at most 500,000 acre-feet by 2020 and one million acre-feet by 2030 (Heineman et al., 2001). Secondly, it is to increase recycled water over by at least one million acre-feet by 2020 two million acre-feet by 2030. Thirdly, by 2020, it aims at increasing water conservation by 20%, especially for industrial and urban uses (Heineman et al., 2001). The methodology utilized for execution and approval of this policy was systematic. Initially, the state consulted experts in diverse areas such as water conservation experts, financial experts and other relevant players. It is important because it assisted in drafting the guidelines and rules in the policy. Furthermore, the analysis of the current problem will occur at this point. The second step was conducting a referendum where the public will pass the policy in order for the state to legalize it. During this stage, there will be an evaluation regarding the costs of the problem. The final phase is to authorize a perti...

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... reuse: The best success stories. London: IWA Pub.
Martineau, P (2013). State Board Approves Amendment to Recycled Water Policy. Retrieved from http://www.acwa.com/news/water-quality/state-board-approves-amendment-recycled-water-policy
Pal, L.A. (2013).Beyond Policy Analysis: Public Issue Management in Turbulent Times.5thed. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Nelson.
Smith, J. B., & Mendelssohn, R. (2007). The Impact of Climate Change on Regional Systems: A Comprehensive Analysis of California. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Pub.
United States. (2010). Perspectives on California water supply: Challenges and opportunities: oversight field hearing before the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Natural Resources, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, second session, Monday, January 25, 2010, in Los Angeles, California. Washington: U.S. G.P.O.

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