Oxnard OKs Water-Rationing Plan That Provides for Household Fines

Reacting to water shortages brought on by the worsening drought, the Oxnard City Council has approved a water-allocation plan based on family size that calls for fines against households exceeding restrictions.

In adopting the plan late Tuesday night before a crowd of about 200 residents, the council reversed a previous decision to reduce water use to residences by 10% across-the-board.

The council kept in place, however, a requirement that commercial and industrial customers cut water use by 10% and agricultural customers by 30%.

City officials said the plan will be implemented March 1, making Oxnard the sixth city in the county to adopt water-rationing measures.

The plan, which includes a two-tier set of fines for residents who exceed allotted amounts, was unanimously adopted after more than three hours of public testimony.

Under the plan, each household will be issued two water-use limits, known as the floor and the ceiling. A fine of 50 cents will be imposed for each 100 cubic feet of water over the floor limit. The fine will double to $1 for every 100 cubic feet over the ceiling amount.

For example, the first limit for a family of two will be 1,000 cubic feet of water per month, or 7,480 gallons; a second limit will be 1,800 cubic feet of water per month, or 13,464 gallons.

“I would refer to the ceiling line as the glut line,” Councilman Michael Plisky said.

The same restrictions will apply to residents in apartments and condominiums, although most do not have individual water meters. City staff members said they are working on a plan to help landlords of such multiunit buildings implement the restrictions.

Council members said they were besieged with complaints after last week’s approval of the water-rationing plan requiring a 10% cut in residential, commercial and industrial use and a 30% cut in agricultural use.

“I’m sure we all received more calls on this than on any other issue,” Councilman Manuel Lopez said.

At the public hearing Tuesday night, most residents said a water allotment program would be more equitable than cutting residential use 10% across-the-board. Some residents, however, said water users will continue to suffer unless the city reduces the rate of residential growth.

“If there isn’t enough water to go around now, more urbanization can only make things worse,” Robert M. Cote, a Fathom Court resident, said.

Meanwhile, Ventura County water works officials said Wednesday that they are considering increasing penalties already charged to Moorpark and Somis customers who use too much water.

The County Board of Supervisors, which governs the water works districts that supply Moorpark and Somis, may adjust water rates for customers in those areas in February or March, Reddy Pakala, manager of the water districts, said.

Tuesday, the Simi Valley City Council adopted its own water-conservation program that will increase water rates for excessive users. Last week, Thousand Oaks implemented a plan to reduce residential water use by 10%. The city of Ventura has approved a program that limits most single-family households to 294 gallons a day, or 8,820 a month.

Moorpark and Camarillo have been using a combination of voluntary and mandatory conservation measures to reduce water use.

Oxnard’s water-allocation plan was initiated in response to a mandate by its main provider, the Metropolitan Water District, which imports state water from Northern California.

The district, which provides about two-thirds of Oxnard’s water, has required all municipal agencies it serves to reduce residential water use by 10% by Friday.

If Oxnard fails to meet MWD’s requirements, it will be fined $393 for every acre-foot of water beyond its allocation, city officials said. If the city cuts back use by more than 10%, it will receive a $99 credit for every acre-foot saved, the officials said. One acre-foot of water is enough to serve an average family of five for a year, officials said.

Times staff writer Carlos V. Lozano contributed to this story.