THE DROUGHT CONSERVATION : Ojai Schools Leading List of Water Wasters

Meiners Oaks County Water District has begun fining customers who have not reduced their water consumption, and the Ojai Unified School District drew the largest penalty, officials said Wednesday.

The school district was billed $173 for using 943% more water at Meiners Oaks Elementary School from July 19 to Aug. 19 than it did in the same period last year, said Ron Singleton, water district general manager. In addition, the school district was fined $191 on the July bill for overuse although other customers were not fined at that time. “They were so blatantly overusing, we couldn’t let them get away with it,” he said.

The water company billed 349 of its 1,200 customers who have not voluntarily reduced water consumption by 20% as they were asked to earlier this year, he said.

“We didn’t seem to be getting through to the people,” Singleton said. “The usage increased last month so we decided to implement the charge to make people more aware they need to get with the program.”

The fines for August range from 19 cents to $173, Singleton said. They represent a 25% increase in the normal billing rate for any water consumption beyond 80% of the amount used during the same period last year.

Assistant Supt. Leo T. Molitor said the school used more water because the playground was reseeded and a new sprinkler system was installed to replace lines cracked during construction of a portable classroom.

“I know we used an awful lot of water, but we are doing everything possible to reduce our overall consumption by 20%,” Molitor said. “We have reduced our water use in the district by 19% over last year. However, our highest use was at Meiners Oaks Elementary School.”

The water company has received about 20 customer inquiries about the additional charges, Singleton said, but most callers are also asking what they can do to reduce their consumption.

The company is buying water this summer from the Casitas Municipal Water District to supplement the firm’s well water from the dwindling Ventura River basin. Singleton said it is the first time that the company has used Lake Casitas water in more than a decade, except during a brief stint in 1985 when a forest fire swept into Ojai.

“We’re not trying to be mean or vindictive,” Singleton said. “We have to prove to Casitas that we’re cutting back 20%, and we’re starting to get into our heaviest cycle with big demand.”

Water consumption all summer drains the wells, Singleton said, and because lawns and orchards are dry, they need more water in September, he said. The Casitas water district has asked all water companies that rely on its water to reduce consumption by 20% but has stopped short of rationing or levying fines. The district supplies water to 14 other water companies in Ventura and the Ojai Valley.