THE DROUGHT : Farmers Could Bear the Brunt of Rationing

Farmers will be among the hardest hit water users in eastern Ventura County by a mandatory rationing program approved Tuesday by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies five of the county’s cities.

The rationing plan calls for a 5% reduction in water use for overall residential consumption and a 20% cut for agricultural users in Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Camarillo and Oxnard.

Under the plan, which goes into effect Feb. 1, the price of water delivered to a city or agency will triple if the reduction quota is not met.

Officials in four of the five Ventura County cities affected said they already have some conservation measures in place that have reduced their overall water consumption by 4% or more during the past year.

They said they do not anticipate any problems in achieving the mandatory quotas. Officials in Oxnard said they only recently implemented voluntary water reduction measures and are uncertain what the effect has been.

Among farmers, however, there was strong concern Tuesday that the cutbacks could have an economic impact. Although growers have already significantly reduced their demands for imported water by using more efficient irrigation systems, officials said it will be difficult for them to achieve a 20% reduction without taking drastic measures.

Don Reeder, president of the Ventura County Farm Bureau, which represents about 1,800 local farmers, said growers in the east county will undoubtedly be forced to cut out some of their crops.

“We’re pretty darn efficient right now,” Reeder said. “There’s very little left to cut. The biggest decision now is going to be what crops to eliminate.”

The MWD supplies the Calleguas Municipal Water District and several other water companies that distribute water to the five Ventura County cities that will be affected. Calleguas also supplies water to some unincorporated areas throughout the eastern county, such as Somis and areas surrounding Moorpark.

It is in these unincorporated regions where many of the agricultural users who rely on MWD water are located, said Reddy Pakala, an official with the Ventura County Water Resources Division, which oversees distribution of imported water to the Somis and Moorpark areas.

In Ventura County Waterworks District 1, which includes Moorpark and areas to the north and west of the city, Pakala said there are about 88 agricultural users and 7,600 total customers. Growers in this area get about 75% of their water from MWD and 25% from wells.

Since June, when the Ventura County Board of Supervisors approved mandatory water conservation measures for the three water districts overseen by the county, agricultural users have reduced their demands by about 12% to 15%, while there has been an overall 10% reduction in water consumption, Pakala said.

But Pakala warned that further cutbacks will be harder to achieve.

“The farmers right now are using as little water as possible,” he said. “Any additional cutbacks imposed on them from MWD will be hard for them to meet.” Pakala agreed with Reed that some farmers might have to eliminate some of their crops.

In Ventura County Waterworks District 19, which includes the Somis area, there are about 300 agricultural users and a total of about 1,000 customers, Pakala said. He said growers in this district get about 80% of their water from wells and the remaining 20% from MWD.

He said, however, ground water is also becoming more scarce and that these farmers will also be hit hard by the new reduction demands.

Waterworks District 17, which encompasses the Bell Canyon area southeast of Simi Valley, is primarily residential and will not be affected as much as the other two county-run districts.

Pakala said the mandatory conservation measures already in place include prohibiting the washing of sidewalks, driveways or other paved surfaces; the filling of fountains or ponds except with recycled water; serving water in restaurants unless requested; and watering lawns between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

For the first violation of any of these rules, customers receive a written notice. A $25 fine follows the second violation, and a $50 fine for a third. If further violations occur, the district can install water-flow restricting devices or possibly discontinue service.

Also, the Board of Supervisors recently approved a “tiered rate” structure as a way to achieve further cutbacks in water consumption in the three districts. Under the new rate structure, customers exceeding a certain amount of water per month must pay a surcharge.

Meanwhile, large water users in Thousand Oaks and Camarillo said they have also taken steps to conserve water and are ready to take more stringent actions.

At the Las Posas Country Club near Camarillo, greenskeeper Pete Hernandez said operators have already reduced the amount of MWD water the golf course purchases and have switched to more well water. Hernandez said the golf course could withstand another demand to reduce water consumption by 5%.

“I’m sure we could do that,” he said. “I’m sure we could go to 10% less.”

Tex Ward, general manager of the Conejo Recreation and Parks District, said the 31 parks in the city have already been planted with drought-resistant turf and outfitted with efficient irrigation systems. A reduction in water usage could mean turf will be allowed to die in some of the parks and play fields.

“Things won’t look as good, but we can keep things alive,” he said.

Calleguas officials are scheduled to meet with representatives of each of the five Ventura County cities today to discuss details of the mandatory water-rationing program.