THE DROUGHT : MWD Limits May Mean Tough Rules on Rationing

Ventura County residents and farmers, despite Wednesday’s brief storm, can expect to pay higher water bills or be fined for excessive water use because of a mandatory water-rationing program approved Tuesday by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

The MWD’s largest Ventura County customer is the Calleguas Municipal Water District, which supplies Simi Valley, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks with most of their water. It also provides half of Camarillo’s water and about two-thirds of Oxnard’s.

The rationing plan calls for a mandatory 10% reduction in water use for residential and industrial customers and 30% cutbacks for agricultural users in the five Ventura County cities. Under the plan, which goes into effect Feb. 1, the price of water delivered to a city or agency will triple if the limit is exceeded.

Officials in Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley said they plan to impose mandatory rationing programs by the end of the month. The programs will require residents to reduce water consumption or face costly penalties that have yet to be determined, they said.

Paul Swenson, Thousand Oaks’ conservation coordinator, said the City Council is expected to vote Tuesday to impose that city’s first mandatory water-rationing ordinance.

The law would prohibit washing driveways, sidewalks and other paved surfaces; filling of decorative fountains; and watering lawns between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

During the last year, Thousand Oaks residents have reduced water use by only 2.4% under a voluntary program, far below the city’s goal of 10%, Swenson said.

But the city has prepared other stringent measures--including surcharges for excessive water use and required installation of flow-restricting devices in residences if cuts are not made.

Simi Valley officials said they are uncertain at this point what kinds of cutbacks or penalties are likely. A public hearing on the matter is set for Jan. 28.

Michael Kleinbrodt, deputy director of public works, said Simi Valley residents reduced water consumption by 5% voluntarily last year.

Officials in Oxnard, which only recently implemented a voluntary rationing program, said they are taking steps toward requiring conservation. They said they could not give details.

Meanwhile, Moorpark and Camarillo have already achieved at least a 10% reduction in water use through a combination of mandatory and voluntary programs implemented last year. The Camarillo City Council passed a water-saving law in May similar to the one now being considered in Thousand Oaks.

In October, the Camarillo City Council approved a five-tier rate structure that adjusts residents bills according to use. For example, a resident would pay 70 cents per 100 cubic feet of water for the first 1,400 cubic feet used each month. Beyond that amount, the customer would pay 90 cents per 100 cubic feet, with further rate increases as consumption goes up.

Councilwoman Charlotte Craven said Camarillo’s program does not affect the city’s 16 agricultural users. But the council was expected to impose restrictions on farmers Wednesday night. Craven said farmers now pay $91 per acre-foot of water, and would now be charged $392 for each acre-foot beyond a number that has yet to be determined.

Reddy Pakala, manager of two Ventura County water districts, which include the Moorpark and Somis areas, said the Board of Supervisors had implemented mandatory conservation measures in November. The water rate for residents in the two districts depends on how much is used, he said. Farmers were exempted because they cut consumption voluntarily by 12% to 15% in the last year. But surcharges may be imposed on farmers soon, he said.

Officials in Ventura, which last March became the first city in the county to fine excessive water users, said the city has averaged a 20% to 24% reduction in consumption. The city gets no water from the MWD.

Although the program is considered a success, it has not been a painless experience, Councilman Don Villeneuve said.

“We took a hell of a lot of flak from the business community and the Chamber of Commerce,” he said.

Villeneuve said problems persist but that the community has adjusted, as cities served by MWD will also adjust.

“People will get mobilized when they realize that they have to take drastic steps to help their community,” he said. “We did it.”