Water-Saving Rate Falls to 6%; Rationing Looms

Los Angeles residents are falling short of city water conservation goals this month and soon could face the prospect of mandatory water rationing, according to Department of Water and Power figures.

Through the first half of October, city residents voluntarily cut their usage by 6.1%, well short of the 10% level established by the City Council as necessary to hold off mandatory rationing.

“The city’s mid-month water conservation figure clearly indicates that conservation efforts are dropping,” said Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores. “Unless efforts are quickly turned around, Los Angeles will probably be facing implementation of a mandatory water conservation program.”

The conservation figures posted through Oct. 14 are the weakest since Mayor Tom Bradley called for cuts in water usage in March. Southern California water officials expect a 10% shortage in water supplies this year, after four years of drought.

“As the temperature cooled in October, many residents appear to have forgotten their water-saving habits of the summer,” said Bradley. “With a minimal amount of effort, we can see our conservation climb skyward during the second half of October.”

The October figures compare to water savings of 15.5% in September, 13% in August, 9.8% in July, 17.5% in June, 11.7% in May and 12.3% in April, according to the DWP. The DWP figures measure drops in usage from an “expected normal use.” The figures are adjusted for changes in population and weather.

DWP officials said they were unsure why the voluntary conservation effort suddenly fell off.

Jerry Gewe, senior water engineer heading the conservation measurement project, said residents will find it generally more difficult to cut water use in fall and winter months.

“Most conservation is in lawn watering,” said Gewe. Because less irrigation is required in cooler months, residents have to look to other ways to curb usage.

Gewe added: “October is a transition month. It starts out hot and ends cooler.”

As a result, usage varies widely during the period, he said. It is possible, Gewe said, that conservation figures will improve in the remainder of the month as the weather cools.

Under the city ordinance, mandatory rationing could be implemented if the adjusted conservation figure dips below 10% in any month.

If triggered by a vote of the City Council, the rationing plan would limit all residents and businesses to 90% of the water consumed in comparable periods of 1986--before the drought and the start of city-sponsored conservation efforts. Residents and businesses using more than their allotment would face surcharges and fines.