CASITAS : Handling of Water Dispute Defended

Preferring a gentleman’s agreement over a lawsuit, Casitas Municipal Water District directors defended their approach to working out a water dispute with the city of Ventura this week against attacks from environmentalists and district taxpayers.

The Casitas board approved sending a letter to Ventura City Manager John Baker asking when the city is going to stop exporting water out of Casitas’ service area. The letter alleged that the practice violated state laws and a 1976 agreement between Casitas and the city.

Casitas General Manager John Johnson said that the city may have exported between 600 and 4,000 acre-feet of water to residents on the eastern side of the city and that the quantity is expected to dramatically rise through the summer months.

Rather than calling for an immediate halt to the practice, he said, the best way is to work with Ventura to help the city with its water crisis.

The water district directors decided to ask Ventura to improve the accuracy of its data-reporting methods, report data monthly instead of yearly to the district, set a time schedule to stop exporting the water, pay it all back and pay an as yet unspecified “rental” fee on the total amount used outside the district.

The letter suggests that negotiations take place before April 30 and that the Casitas board and Ventura City Council sign an agreement on the matter by July 1, the end of the district’s fiscal year.

A city spokesman said there would be no comment until the city receives the letter.

Ojai environmentalist Pat Baggerly objected to the district’s approach, saying, “It looks like the door is being left open . . . letting the city of Ventura steal the district’s water.”

Ann Davis of Mira Monte agreed.

“You’re asking us to restrict our supply, and we resent it very much that people outside the district are using our water and not paying taxes,” she said.

Casitas Director Bill Austin told the critics that the letter is the best way to handle the situation in a gentlemanly manner.

“If we go for something stricter, it would precipitate a lawsuit. We don’t want this tied up for five years,” Johnson said. “We’re going to solve it quicker, easier and a heck of a lot cheaper this way.”