VENTURA : New Water Rules to Be Mailed to Homes

Notices explaining Ventura’s water conservation ordinance and outlining the water allocations each household will receive will be sent out today and Saturday, city officials said.

The mailing to the city’s 23,000 customers was first scheduled for March 23 to kick off the city’s public information campaign concerning water conservation measures approved earlier this month. The delay was due to “glitches in the computer system that puts the mailers together,” Ventura Public Information Officer Carol Green said.

Under the program, which becomes effective April 12, residential users will be limited to 296 gallons a day, and multifamily residences to 196 gallons a day. Users may be given bonuses if they can document undue hardships resulting from the ordinance.

The first bimonthly billing period will be a trial, with no penalties being assessed. But starting in mid-June, violators will be penalized with up to 10 times the normal rate for excess use.