OJAI VALLEY : Hookup Requests Flood Water District

Requests for new water service have been heavy since the Casitas Municipal Water District announced that a one-year moratorium on new or expanded hookups could take effect April 12, officials said Wednesday.

“We’ve issued a lot of will-serve letters in the last two weeks,” said Dick Barnett, engineering department manager of the utility, which serves the Ojai Valley and the western part of the city of Ventura.

“There’s a lot of activity, a lot of telephone calls and a lot of concern,” he said.

District General Manager John Johnson has proposed that Casitas directors declare a water emergency and moratorium until the utility can determine whether it has enough water to supply new services.

Until the board acts, Johnson said, the staff will continue to issue commitments to provide service, called will-serve letters.

Eighteen such letters have been issued so far this month, Barnett said. In contrast, nine went out in January. Ninety-three commitments for new meters or expanded uses such as increased irrigation have been issued to date during the 1989-90 fiscal year, he said.

The agency now serves about 2,800 customers, including other water suppliers such as the city of Ventura.

Johnson noted that since June, the district has consistently stated in comments to environmental impact reports that it cannot guarantee water for new projects, such as for California State University’s proposed campus at Taylor Ranch. The site is within the Casitas district.

At a meeting April 11, the board will consider declaring the emergency, and adopting the moratorium and a long-term conservation program.

In a separate action Wednesday, the board set a public hearing for April 25 on a proposal to increase customer rates by 2.5% this year and for each of the next seven years. The additional revenue would go toward operating a $25-million water treatment and hydroelectric power plant planned for completion below Casitas Dam by mid-1993.