THE DROUGHT : Top Users Cut 15% or More Water

Ventura’s top 10 water users have all met--and some have greatly exceeded--reductions in usage mandated by the city’s water conservation ordinance, which went into effect in mid-April, statistics released Friday show.

Topping the list compiled by the city Public Works Department is Texaco Oil Corp., Ventura’s third largest user, which reduced its consumption by 52.9% in June as compared to the same month last year. Even United Foods, with a 18.6% reduction--the lowest of the top 10--exceeded the 15% reduction required by the city.

Ventura Mayor Richard L. Francis commended the top 10 for their efforts but warned all water users “not to relax and say ‘Hey, we’ve done it,’ and then turn around and take a 20-minute shower. The drought’s not over . . . .”

The top 10 list includes two oil companies, two hospitals, two mobile home parks, the city itself, county facilities in the city, a food company and Ventura Community College. The 10 account for just over 15% of the city’s overall consumption, Green said.

The water conservation ordinance was adopted in March after the City Council was warned that four years of drought conditions had depleted the city’s aquifers. Under the ordinance, government agencies such as the county hospital and the city Parks and Recreation Department have to reduce water use by 20%. Private enterprises such as oil or food companies have to reduce water use by 15%.

Residents must limit their water consumption to 196 gallons a day per dwelling in mobile homes, apartments and condominiums. Single-family houses are allowed up to 294 gallons a day.

Violators in every category are subject to penalties of up to 10 times the normal water rate for the excess amount, Green said.

As a whole, the city had reduced water use by 24.6% in June, compared to the same month last year, but the goal is 30%.

Public Works Department spokeswoman Carol Green said she believes that goal will be reached soon because residential users, who use from 60% to 70% of the city’s water, will follow in the footsteps of the top 10.

For the big water users, the reductions didn’t come easy.

Bill Scheinfurth, manager of the Lemon Wood Mobile Home Park, said reducing water consumption 38.2% was painful and costly. Every resident had to pitch in, and many attended meetings to learn water-saving tips, Scheinfurth said. Recycled water from showers and laundry washes was used to irrigate flower gardens. Two decorative fishponds had to be filled with sand. Low-flow showers, toilets and faucets were installed in the clubhouse. Landscape irrigation was restricted to night hours, and the park’s 1,000 lemon trees had to survive with less water than usual.

Oil companies had disparate results in their efforts to conserve. Texaco was able to cut its water use by 52.9%, but Shell Oil, the city’s No. 1 user, only reduced consumption by 19.5%.

Texaco spokeswoman Sharon Stakes said the firm spent $6,000 to replace dozens of toilets with low-flow models used by the company’s 150 field employees. The company also did not pump as much water into its wells to flush out oil.

She said Texaco is making up the difference by recycling about 6,000 water barrels every day and by activating a water well owned by the company that produces 5,000 barrels a day. However, she warned that the company will have to use more water in upcoming months as more water pressure is needed in the pumping wells.

Shell officials could not be reached late Friday to comment on their reduction.

Ventura city officials said they were particularly impressed with the reductions by the two local hospitals, where hygienic standards require extensive water use.

Community Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Barbara Milton said the 320-bed facility accomplished its 21% reduction by installing aerators into every faucet in the building. The aerators, which add air bubbles to the stream of water, cut down water flow from 5.6 gallons per minute to 2.2 gallons.

The hospital also installed low-flow shower heads, which reduced water flow from 7.5 gallons per minute to 3 gallons, and did not water its lawns as often, leaving some of them browner, she said.

United Foods Manager Ruben Franco said his mushroom farm saved water by retrofitting all showers and toilets and by washing the floors once a week instead of every day. While United’s 18.6% reduction was the lowest among the top 10 users, Franco said he and his 325 company employees are making every possible effort to conserve.

For its part, the city government managed a 23.9% cutback by taking measures such as installing drip irrigation systems on Johnson Drive, suspending landscape irrigation in all the fire stations and installing a computerized irrigation system in four city parks. Also, most plumbing fixtures in city buildings were retrofitted to consume less water and a massive publicity campaign advised city workers to save water.

VOLUNTARY CUTS: L.A. residents reduce their water use by 15% in June. B7

VENTURA’S TOP 10 WATER USERS

(combined 15.85% of total city water use)

MANDATED Average Daily Use (gal) CUSTOMER REDUCTION REDUCTION June ’89 June ’90 1.SHELL OIL 15% 19.5% 1,217,110 979,080 2.CITY OF VENTURA* 20% 23.9% 1,100,000 861,069 3.TEXACO OIL 15% 52.9% 1,068,000 582,890 4.VENTURA COUNTY 20% 26% 428,372 316,544 5.UNITED FOODS 15% 18.6% 182,460 148,560 6.LEMONWOOD (196 gallons per 38.2% 107,820 66,608 MOBILE HOME day per home PARK limit--231 homes) 7.VENTURA COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER 20% 22.4% 101,360 78,687 8.COMMUNITY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL 15% 21% 101,100 79,828 9.VENTURA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE 20% 27.3% 83,017 60,362 10.VENTURA MARINA MOBILE HOME PARK (196 gpd per 24.3% 80,672 61,078 home limit. 310 homes)

SOURCE: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, City of Ventura

*Figures correspond to May of 1989 and May of 1990, respectively.

Matt Moody / Los Angeles Times