HB4057 Sprinklers

Alan R.P. Journet Ph.D
Cofacilitator,
Southern Oregon Climate Action Now
7113 Griffin Lane
Jacksonville OR 97530-9342
alan@socan.eco
541-301-4107
February 1^st 2022

Chair Marsh and members of the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources:

I write as co-facilitator of Southern Oregon Climate Action Now on behalf of the over 1600 rural Southern Oregonians who are SOCAN. Our mission is to promote awareness and understanding of the science of global warming and its climate change consequences and motivate individual and collective action to address the resulting climate crisis.

In the case of water spray sprinkler bodies, the reference in HB4057 seems to be to energy efficiency, but everything I read about these products suggests the key issue is water use efficiency, so I am inferring the reference is intended to be ’water use efficiency.’

In the arena of Natural Resources, one issue that remains of considerable interest to SOCAN is water use. This is because the climate projections tell us that we will experience substantial warming over the coming years – as much as 9-degree Fahrenheit above the 1981-2010 average. This will likely involve greater warming in the summer. Additionally, annual precipitation is projected to hold pretty much steady, though possibly with greater variation (i.e., drier dry years and wetter wet years).

What this will mean is much drier summers and falls. Regrettably, these are exactly the times when water sprinklers are in greatest demand; just as irrigation season looms, water availability will likely decline.

While we are mitigating the climate crisis that looms by reducing our emissions and promoting carbon sequestration, we must also adapt to the unfortunate climatic trends we have imposed on ourselves. This means we should take every opportunity to reduce both our energy use and our water use.

Water sprinklers may appear (if you’ll please excuse the expression) a drop in the bucket. However, the reality is that every little thing we do counts. Or, maybe more importantly, every little thing we don’t do will count.

Thus, the notion of including water spray sprinklers into the list of items that must meet efficiency standards makes very good sense.  For this reason, SOCAN supports HB4057.

Respectfully submitted

Alan Journet Ph.D.’
Cofacilitator
Southern Oregon Climate Action Now