SAN CLEMENTE : Conservation Laws Seem to Hold Water

As water and electricity use break records throughout Southern California during this week’s heat wave, the city’s tough new water conservation efforts appear to be working.

Water levels at a 48-million-gallon reservoir serving the community have stayed consistently high throughout the hot spell, which water officials credit to a series of tough conservation laws passed by the city since last summer.

“We’re doing real well,” said Ray Woodside, general manager of the Tri-Cities Municipal Water District. “I can’t say I’m surprised because of what the city’s done, but I’m very pleased.”

Officials have enacted stringent ordinances that have cut off water used by developers during construction and imposed rationing on residents.

Figures released this week by the Tri-Cities district are the first indication that the city’s conservation efforts have successfully controlled water use.

The water level was at 45 million gallons at the reservoir on Monday, and by Thursday morning had decreased only slightly to 44 million gallons.

Last year on June 28, reservoir levels had shrunk 10% from the day before, to 37.2 million gallons. That was the start of a summer-long plunge that dropped reserves to a low of 17.3 million gallons in mid-August.

During a heat wave, water use “generally skyrockets when you have days like these,” Woodside said. “Usually it takes a couple days of heat before people decide their lawns start looking bad and start heavy watering.”

Residents are prohibited from watering their lawns between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Homeowner associations are being asked to water only during the evening and are restricted in the amount of water they can use.