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Shawn Novack kept a small vial of water in his office at the Water Resources Association of San Benito County, not a surprising bit of decor for a water conservation program manager, but a significant one: it holds some of the first water imported to San Benito County from the San Felipe Project through a pipeline from the San Luis Reservoir.
For Novack, it’s a reminder of how vital water is as a resource in this rapidly growing—and thirsty—region.
“Water is so precious, and I don’t think people appreciate it,” he said. “It is part of everything we touch every day. This morning, I’m making coffee and my oatmeal, shaving and showering, and doing a lot of laundry—all before I leave the house at 8 o’clock.”
Much of Novack’s work over the last 20 years has involved raising awareness of water as a limited resource by working with the community on programs such as providing low-flow toilets, promoting conversion to water-efficient landscaping, visiting schools to talk to students about conservation, and writing more than 60 community opinion pieces for BenitoLink on water issues.
Novack was not always focused on water as a career. In his younger days, he studied journalism, worked at his family’s restaurant, and spent 10 years in the scrap metal business before deciding he wanted computer training. That led him to a stretch of technical writing at the Naval Research Lab in Monterey, which lasted until his job was eliminated after 9/11.
“We were told that we were working on things that did not support the ‘warfighter effort,’” he recalled. “That was the phrasing they used. I thought, ‘Those damned terrorists won again!’ I started throwing resumes out, and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District gave me an entry-level position.”
Novack said he was 46 years old at the time and knew nothing about the water industry but felt the job gave him a chance to do something good for the community.
“A lot of the programs we run now were in their infancy then,” he said, “and I was there to help to bring them along.”
At the time, Hollister’s surge in construction had overwhelmed the existing wastewater plant, forcing the state to impose a moratorium on building.
“The state said, ‘No more building until you build a sewer plant,’” he said. “So they started a low-flow toilet program to take the pressure off the plant.”
At the time, Novack said, communities only stepped up water conservation efforts when there was a drought—but now it has become a way of life.
“With all the growth in population and climate change,” he said, “we have to make sure every drop of water is used efficiently. The toilet program was the low-hanging fruit. Home landscaping, which accounts for 50% of water use in the residential sector, is the bigger target.”
According to Novack, one approach is to address old and antiquated irrigation systems in the county, as well as people watering too much because they don’t know how to use their controllers. Another is to review the landscape plans on new construction projects to be sure they conform to the recent statewide water-efficient landscape ordinance.
As people have become more aware of conservation needs, Novack said, he has seen a significant drop in water usage.
“When I first started here,” he said, “water use in the area was 212 gallons per person per day. Five years ago, when we did our last management plan, that was down to 105 gallons per person per day. We also added about 10,000 people in that time, but water use pretty much flattened out.”
Novack said it was important to keep changing approaches to water management. Before his retirement, he was involved in the aquifer storage recovery program that has shown promise.
“During that last big storm in 2022,” he said, “there was so much water we didn’t know what to do with it. During a wet year like we had last year, they can take that excess water and inject it into the aquifer. Then keep it stored there to bring it back up during dry time.”
Another concept that intrigues Novack is San Diego’s investment in recycled water and desalination.
“When we had the drought, from about 2019 to 2022,” he said, “the county weathered through it very well. “We have a diversified water portfolio now with groundwater, imported surface water and local surface water, and I think we’re going to get to a stage where we can use recycled water directly as drinking water.”
Novack also stressed the importance of not conserving water under certain circumstances, saying that people who complain about freshwater being “wasted” by allowing it to flow to the sea are not looking at the big picture.
“If we don’t keep the rivers full, he said, “San Francisco Bay, with that salty water, will start encroaching on our freshwater supplies. So you need to have those rivers to keep that salt water from coming inland. It is very important for the local environment and it’s all connected together.”
Novack is retiring in part out of his concern over the recent actions by the San Benito County Water District directors, which he detailed in his final Community Opinion piece.
“I think I’ve said enough,” he said. “I’m hoping that the community steps up and pays attention to the problems. I don’t want it to seem like there’s some self-interest being pursued, rather than the community interest.”
Mostly, Novack said, he feels it’s time to move on and see the world while he is still in good health.
“I turned 67,” he said, “and if you look at the actuaries for people’s lives, a white male in America lives to be about 79 to 81, if you’re lucky. I just feel like it’s time to start another chapter.”
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