Water Still Seems to Be Everywhere but in Reservoir

Joel Rodgers worries about his boxwood hedges and the garden that adorns his front yard. The city of San Clemente is urging residents to use less water, and he fears his shrubbery will suffer.

“I used to water my shrubs twice a day,” Rodgers said, “but I want to be a good citizen and abide by the rules, so my lawn is paying the price.”

Rodgers’ sentiments are probably shared by many others as the city continues to grapple with the problem posed by the falling water level of the Tri Cities Reservoir in northern San Clemente. The reservoir supplies the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant and Capistrano State Beach as well as the city of San Clemente itself.

The city last week began drafting an emergency rationing ordinance to be invoked should the reservoir level drop any farther. Just what restrictions would be imposed have yet to be decided.

The ordinance will probably be sent to the City Council in early September, officials said. Officials have been monitoring the situation since early July, when they first noticed that the supply was slipping below the “comfortable” point.

The problem is not a lack of water, however. Enough water is available to the city, officials say. Rather, the problem is that the city’s one intake pipe cannot pump water into the reservoir as quickly as residents are drawing it out.

Water use this summer has risen 10% over last summer, said Greg Morehead, the city’s utilities manager, and new home construction appears to be chiefly to blame.

In an effort to ease the shortage, residents have been encouraged to voluntarily reduce their use of water. Further, the city has mailed dozens of letters over the past three weeks to area businesses, “asking them to work with us to control the waste of water.”

Businesses have begun taking steps to conserve. The San Clemente Car Wash, for example, has installed new valves to prevent leaks in its water system.

‘$600 Decrease’

“In the last two months, we’ve seen about a $600 decrease in our water bill with the new valves,” manager Charles Newlan said. “We’ve been in contact with the city and have assured them that we are doing all we can to reduce our waste.”

Etienne’s, a French restaurant, now serves water only on request.

“We had been serving water with every meal,” owner Robin Gluck said, “but after all the attention given to the water shortage, we decided this was really one of the best ways to cut back, and we have noticed a considerable difference.”

Some of the city’s residents, however, resent being asked to conserve.

“My watering my lawn for 10 minutes each morning isn’t running the well dry,” Howard Cross said. “It’s the big industries that’re doing it, not us homeowners.”

Others said they did not even know about the situation.

“Last year, everyone knew of the water shortage,” said Janet Cole, a 13-year resident. “But this year, it’s been pretty much toned down. I didn’t even know there was a problem.”