THE DROUGHT : County Exceeds Water Use Limit to Keep Lawns Green

The county exceeded its city-imposed water limit by almost 2 million gallons this summer because employees at the Ventura County Government Center failed to cut back on sprinkling the center’s expansive lawns.

County officials now want to meet with city of Ventura leaders to have the county’s water limit raised and to avoid a $21,000 fine.

Despite restrictions set by the city in March to counteract the area’s four-year drought, employees turned water sprinklers on the ground’s foliage more often than the allotted twice a week 20-minute periods, said Arnold Robles, deputy director of the county’s facilities and grounds.

Veteran workers accustomed to maintaining fresh, green landscapes found it difficult to watch the lawns dry up, he said.

“I feel it was probably like asking them to take their children out of their homes,” Robles said.

Since the bill arrived at the end of last month, the center has stopped watering its lawn, Robles said. But while county officials acknowledged that most overuse came from the center’s irrigation, they said their other facilities also demand more water.

County facilities in Ventura, which include the government center buildings, the hospital, two libraries and other social service agencies, are allotted 26,325 units of water. During the billing period from mid-June to mid-August, it used an extra 2,600 units. One unit equals 748 gallons of water, about 2 1/2 times the daily allotment for a single-family household.

The county considers its jail and cafeteria equivalent to a hotel and restaurant because of the number of people they service.

“We would want to stay within the parameters the city is using for the major hotels in the city and the major restaurants in the city,” Robles said.

Under the water conservation ordinance, in effect since April, government agencies--including the county facilities 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 use by 15%.

While he was unaware of the county’s misuse, City Manager John Baker said Ventura officials would meet with county leaders, as they would with any customer who had concerns about their limit.

He said he did not believe government overuse set a bad example for other city customers.

“Who knows, they may have had a leak problem,” Baker said. “I think you have to take these things into account.”

The city mailed its first batch of penalties two weeks ago, citing 17% or 502 of its customers for a total of $90,523. Most violations were by residential users.

Customers must pay penalties as they receive them but can be credited for those payments later if their total water use for the year is within their yearly allocations.

The county said it will not pay its fine until after officials meet with the city.

“We’re questioning the amount that we may have gone over our allocation so we haven’t paid the penalty,” Jack Anderson, an analyst for the county’s Chief Administrative Office, said.

City Department of Public Works spokeswoman Carol Green refused Friday to single out or discuss individual violators.

Since the ordinance was passed in March, the county converted its buildings’ toilets, faucets and shower heads to conserve more water. The county has hired a local engineering firm to research using a well on the center’s property.

From April to June, the county was 26% under its water allocation, Robles said. He added, “We’ve made a real effort with all of our people to help us conserve.”