La Habra Report Warns of Water Shortages
The City Council tonight will receive a report warning that three years of drought may result in significant reductions in water deliveries to the La Habra area.
In a memorandum to the council, City Manager Lee Risner described the potential shortage as “a possible serious condition which may affect us all in the very near future.”
According to the city Fire Department, precipitation during the past six months has totaled just over 1/2 inch, a fraction of the 12-year average of 4.75 inches for the same period.
La Habra receives an “entitlement” of water pumped from the San Gabriel basin. That amount has declined steadily since 1986 as the amount of water which could be safely pumped from the basin has dropped from 200,000 acre-feet to 180,000 last year.
The city receives 60% of its water from the San Gabriel Basin. The remainder comes from the Metropolitan Water District at a “substantially higher” cost, according to Risner.
The MWD gets water from the Colorado River, a source, Risner noted, that will also be reduced as Arizona consumers take a larger portion.
Although the report says that no immediate action is needed, a continuation of the current drought could result in water shortages, higher costs and severe penalties for failure to reduce usage, Risner said.
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