THE DROUGHT : Flynn Pleased Governor Forgoes Emergency Move

Saying local jurisdictions can best solve their own drought problems, Ventura County Supervisor John K. Flynn and several local water officials applauded Gov. Pete Wilson’s decision Friday to forgo declaring a state of emergency over the drought.

“What the governor is doing is telling local folks, ‘You declare a local emergency and you direct attention to it,’ ” said Flynn, who traveled to Sacramento this week to urge state water officials to forgo drastic across-the-board restrictions and let local areas solve their own drought problems.

Although the governor declined to make the declaration that would give him broad authority over water supplies in the state, he left open the option of declaring a drought emergency in the near future.

At a press conference in Sacramento on Friday, Wilson said that before he would declare an emergency, he must be convinced that local agencies are not adequately dealing with the crisis. Instead, Wilson named a special drought action team to study ways to address the crisis.

Local water officials called Wilson’s decision prudent and said the move will give the governor time to study his options before taking the drastic step of declaring an emergency.

“The governor is using his head,” Flynn said. “He’s approaching it in a thoughtful manner rather than getting all upset about it.”

Flynn and several local water officials also said Wilson’s decision will give local jurisdictions more time to implement their own water-conservation and rationing plans.

“If the emergency would take away local control, then I think it’s probably not the thing to do now,” said Jim Hubert, general manager of the Calleguas Municipal Water District, which serves five cities in the county with state water delivered through the Metropolitan Water District.

Six cities in the county have already adopted voluntary or mandatory water conservation measures.

Flynn has proposed a cooperative effort between the county, its 10 cities, water districts and agricultural users to jointly draft a conservation plan to submit to the state by Feb. 15.

“We know where the problems are on the local level,” he said. “We know we have to monitor our water better but we know which communities need it too.”

Mark Capelli, a biologist with the environmental group Friends of the Ventura River, said he believes statewide water restrictions may still be implemented by the Water Resources Control Board, an independent state panel appointed by the governor that has been considering its own drought measures.

Frederick J. Gientke, general manager of the Santa Paula-based United Water Conservation District, called Wilson’s decision appropriate.

Gientke said he also attended this week’s hearings before the state Water Resources Control Board and heard most local water officials lobby to let their jurisdictions solve their own water problems.

However, he said he believes an emergency declaration by the governor may convince many residents that the drought is at a crisis stage.

“I think it’s important for people to hear from the governor,” Gientke said.

L.A. RATIONING: A1