News of the Arroyo
Title: | Cities prepare for water rationing |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2009-04-16 |
Summary: | April 16, 2009 - Mandatory conservation is being called for the Metropolitan Water District and local water agencies. |
Author: | Rebecca Kimitch, Staff Writer |
Publication: | Pasadena Star-News |
Content: | With regional and state water officials warning that water rationing is likely this summer, area cities are scrambling to implement water conservation rules. Last night the El Monte City Council approved a plan that would place increasingly strict restrictions on water use if the city\'s water supply is cut by 10 to 50 percent. \"We are now being asked to have ordinances that have teeth. The days of `please conserve\' are ending,\" said El Monte deputy city attorney Richard Padilla, who helped draft the ordinance. The Metropolitan Water District has encouraged cities to approve rules that would permanently prohibit outdoor watering during certain hours of the day and limit how long lawns and plants can be watered. Cities are also being asked to permanently prohibit hosing down sidewalks and driveways, and require homeowners to fix leaks within a set amount of time. MWD is responsible for distributing water imported from the Colorado River and Northern California to cities throughout the Southland. On April 14, its board of directors is expected to take action on a water rationing plan that would cut the amount of water delivered to local water providers as of July. Such a move would lead to mandatory water conservation over the summer, according to chairman Timothy F. Brick. The agency is also considering rate increases that would go into effect this fall or early next year. \"Southern California continues to grow, Advertisement and as more and more people move here, demand for water continues to grow. Without new supplies, or people really taking conservation seriously, we are not going to be able to meet that demand,\" said Steve Patton, manager of Glendora\'s water division, which was one of the first cities to create a conservation plan. Recognizing a future of rationing, last year MWD officials called on cities to approve water conservation ordinances by this July to cope with reduced water. Those that don\'t comply risk losing the ability to tap into the agency\'s approximately $40 million in conservation funds. Many cities have been slow to act, and are now pushing to get ordinances drafted, vetted and approved before the deadline. \"I don\'t think they thought July would be coming as soon as it is,\" said Bob Kuhn, president of the Three Valleys Municipal Water District board of directors. City officials have many priorities, and, if it\'s raining outside, water conservation plans get put on the back burner, said Kuhn, a former Glendora city councilman. Still, Kuhn and other water officials are confident cities will have their ordinances done in time. But many are not going to the extreme MWD has suggested. The agency suggests permanent water restrictions, even when water supply is at normal levels. El Monte, Glendora, and several other San Gabriel Valley cities have instead opted to keep water conservation voluntary under normal conditions. Only if supplies are cut do forced restrictions go into effect. Depending on how much supplies are cut, the plans have levels of conservation that progressively place stronger restrictions on when and how lawns can be watered, cars and sidewalks can be washed, and leaks must be fixed. They also limit when pools can be filled, fountains turned on, and golf courses watered. Padilla said El Monte officials will consider making the city\'s new ordinance more strict, like MWD\'s suggestions. Cities have to get the agency\'s approval in order to qualify for funding. Azusa, one of the first cities to implement a conservation plan, has gone the stricter route - with restrictions on water use permanently in place. The city has been able to reduce consumption by more than 15 percent over the past 18 months, according to Bob Tang, assistant director of resource management for Azusa Light and Water. The agency issues warnings for first violations. Subsequent violations face fines increasing from $50 to $200. So far, 400 warnings have been issued to the agency\'s 28,000 customers and more than 30 citations for second violations have been issued, Tang said. \"We are solely dependent on local water, nothing imported, so we stand on our own... we had to be quick to act on conservation,\" Tang said. \"It\'s doable, but it\'s not easy.\" But Tim Jochem, general manager for the Upper San Gabriel Municipal Water District, says voluntary conservation can work too. The public has already responded to aggressive calls for conservation, he said. Californians have seen the results of drought on the Colorado River when they visit Lake Mead; they have read about the situation on the Delta; and they have heard about the climate change, and the effects it has on water supply, Jochem said. \"This has been in the public consciousness for probably five years now,\" he said. Despite recent rain and snowfall, water storage at state reservoirs and via snowpack is less than what it should be this time of year. And, protection of the delta smelt and longfin smelt - which the California Fish and Game Commission earlier this month declared an endangered species and threatened species - in the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta have resulted in court-ordered restrictions limiting water availability. Because of the above, the Department of Water Resources has continued its plan, announced in October, to deliver only 15 percent of the water requested by agencies like MWD. When the allocation was first announced in October, many hoped that it would increase. Though the San Gabriel Valley only partially relies on water imports, local supplies are also limited. Rainfall this year has been close to normal, but the water level in the vast aquifer that lies under the valley is expected to reach an historic low soon, according to Jochem. This is due, in part, to MWD\'s limited ability recently to replenish the aquifer, as it has in the past, because of reduced imports. Late last month, Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency because of the drought. In addition to ordering the Department of Water Resources to launch a statewide conservation campaign, he requested that all urban water users immediately reduce their water use by 20 percent. The governor ordered another drought report be issued at the end of the month, and if emergency conditions persist, rationing could take place, according to his statement. rebecca.kimitch@sgvn.com (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2105 |
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