As water cutbacks and rate hikes loom in the face of the worst drought in 15 years, many local businesses are figuring how to slow the flow of water today – and looking for innovative ways to turn back the spigot in the future.

Among the techniques: One big manufacturer is using pressurized air instead of water to clean containers, a small nursery has installed a drip irrigation system, and building owners all over the area are eyeing an offer to get rebates for installing waterless urinals.

“We understand the situation that the Southland is in. Water is a finite resource and it has come under increasing stress, especially in the last year,” said Bob Phillips, spokesman for the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. plant near downtown Los Angeles. The plant has chopped its water use by 20 percent in the past year and is looking at even more steps next year.

Phillips was referring to an unprecedented convergence of factors that have conspired to crimp Southern California’s water supplies, including last year’s record low rainfall, a much-lower-than-normal Sierra snow pack and a seven-year drought along the Colorado River that has forced cutbacks in the region’s draw from that source.

On top of these conditions, a federal judge ruled this summer that water levels must be raised in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta area to protect the endangered Delta smelt species. The smelt’s numbers have dwindled as large numbers of the fish have been caught up in the huge pumps that help transport fresh water from Northern California to farms in the Central Valley and on to Southern California.

In response to the court ruling, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called a special session of the Legislature to address problems with the Delta area and proposed a $9 billion bond package including the construction of two dams. But with Democrats in the Legislature objecting to the building of new dams, the session reached an impasse.

The court ruling is forcing water deliveries from the Delta region to be slashed by about one-third, which in turn prompted the Metropolitan Water District – the wholesale water agency serving most of the southern half of the state – to announce this month that it was cutting agricultural water deliveries by 30 percent and that it would raise water rates for deliveries to member water agencies about 10 percent next year.

MWD General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger also warned that absent significant rainfall, mandatory water rationing would likely go into effect by next spring for the first time since the drought of 1990-91.

Drip irrigation

One city, Long Beach, decided not to wait until next spring to issue restrictions on water use. Earlier this month, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners banned restaurants from serving tap water unless customers ask for it, as well as prohibiting washing driveways and sidewalks with hoses and irrigating landscapes on days other than Monday, Thursday or Saturday.

These restrictions prompted Ricardo’s Nursery in Long Beach to install a drip irrigation system to replace the traditional hand watering of plants.

“The main reason we did this was to save water,” nursery spokeswoman Annika Knoppel said. Knoppel said that drip irrigation – in which pipes or hoses with little holes for release of water are spread throughout the grounds – consumes only about one-third of the water that’s used in hand watering.

Besides saving on water costs, drip irrigation also saves labor costs.