HUNTINGTON BEACH : Water-Rationing Plan Is Imminent

In response to the statewide drought that has shrunk city water supplies by about 12%, a voluntary water-rationing plan may be enacted by the end of the month, a water official said Tuesday.

The conservation action, which officials say could lead to mandatory rationing within 18 months, would request residents to stop watering driveways, install low-flow devices on household fixtures, and cover pools and spas to reduce evaporation, among other measures.

The plan represents the first phase of a three-step emergency water-management program the City Council introduced this week. When the council considers the plan at its Aug. 20 meeting, water officials will urge the council to immediately enact the initial phase, said Linda Daily, a senior analyst for the water department.

The water-management program is similar to plans adopted in Westminster and Yorba Linda, Daily said.

The city is also moving forward with a 2-year-old water system master plan, creating 62 million gallons of new water-storage facilities and updating aging pipelines. That plan will probably result in higher city water bills within a year, Daily said.

Additionally, the council on Monday agreed to join the Green Acres Project, a water-reclamation effort sponsored by the Orange County Water District. “The goal . . . is for the city to become as self-sufficient as possible,” Daily said.

The city uses an average of 33 million gallons of water each day, with summertime demands soaring as high as 60 million gallons a day, Daily said. And, like most Southland cities, Huntington Beach now relies heavily on water supplies from the Colorado River, Northern California and other outside sources.

Cities that significantly reduce their dependence upon such sources will be able to cope with the effects of the drought, which state officials now predict will continue at least another year.

If the state’s water shortage continues at its current pace, the city could begin mandatory rationing by early 1992, Daily said.

When the citywide shortage exceeds 15% below normal levels, water officials would ask the council to implement the second phase of the emergency water-management program. That would mandate sweeping cutbacks in water use, including prohibitions against watering lawns, filling pools and washing cars. It would also impose penalties on violators, including $100 fines for third-time offenders.

The third and final phase of the plan, which Daily says may be required by late 1992, would set strict water-use limits for each household, reduce pressure in the entire water system and step up enforcement of penalties for non-compliance.