County Water Authority Urges Rigorous Controls

The San Diego County Water Authority voted unanimously Thursday to ask its 24 member agencies to adopt rigorous conservation measures that include capping growth, eliminating all residential sprinkler use and reusing shower water to flush toilets.

The detailed measures, adopted by the board as part of a sweeping drought response plan, are intended to serve as a guide to local water districts as they struggle under a fifth year of drought. In the face of increasingly stringent cutbacks, water board members and staff members said they see no end to San Diego’s water problems.

“This is a very dire situation. We have to take drastic action,” said Lester A. Snow, the authority’s general manager. He described the board’s action as “trying to strike the balance between showing leadership in the community and providing member agencies the flexibility to respond.”

It will be up to the 24 water districts, the largest of which is the City of San Diego, to decide which parts of the county’s plan to adopt. Only the districts have the power under state law to impose conservation measures on individual water users.

But the sweeping recommendations of the water authority are certain to change the lifestyles of millions of residents in San Diego County.

Just one month ago, the Metropolitan Water District, which supplies 95% of San Diego County’s water, announced that its customers had to reduce their consumption by 15%. Earlier this week, the MWD doubled that request, mandating that its members cut their water use by 30% beginning March 1.

The MWD asked for residential customers to cut back 20%, while imposing a 50% cut on agricultural users. But the San Diego County authority on Thursday reiterated a policy it adopted in December: its cuts will be 30% across the board.

Although that news was sure to please farmers, the authority’s recommendations Thursday regarding drought-related growth limitations prompted some opposition from another powerful lobby--the construction industry.

The authority’s board of directors recommended that, beginning March 1, its members reduce the number of water permits issued for new construction by 30% from fiscal year 1989-90 levels. It also proposed that water use at construction sites be drawn only from reclaimed or other non-drinkable sources--but that was later amended, after Frank Panarisi, president of the Construction Industry Federation, spoke twice to the board.

“The concern we have is the question of availability of water. The question is, if it’s not there do you shut down a $6.5-billion a year industry?” Panarisi said, adding that the building industry is prepared to do its share to conserve by creating a fund to retrofit older homes with low-flow fixtures.

After hearing from state and local health officials that the supplies of unpolluted reclaimed water are indeed limited, the board agreed to amend its recommendation to say reclaimed water should be used whenever a sufficient supply is available.

The growth-capping recommendation was just one part of a larger “matrix” that outlined detailed water management techniques to be implemented now and in the future. The matrix, which outlines seven water alert “stages,” gives step-by-step instructions to households, agricultural users, restaurants, car washes, hotels and landscapers--and to the authority’s 24 member agencies in general.

Beginning Feb. 1, the county went to a Stage III water alert, requiring its member agencies to cut their use 15% and establishing penalties for those that did not meet that goal: the county authority’s customers will pay triple the regular rate for any extra water they use.

When San Diego County jumps to Stage V on March 1, the water authority recommends that, in addition, households stop using all sprinkler systems and begin watering lawns only with hand-held hoses twice a week; capturing the warm-up water from showers and sinks for outdoor use or to flush toilets; and turning off water softeners that discharge water.

Recommendations for non-residential landscaping include eliminating all watering of ornamental turf areas and watering actively used areas only twice a week. The recommendation allows for the use of drip irrigation systems.

In other action, the board approved a $175,700 budget for a new public education campaign that officials promised would reflect the seriousness of the situation. Shirley Jackson, an assistant general manager, said the ads will be less “cute” than those of a previous public information blitz, which featured a wasteful pig in a Hawaiian print-shirt named Waterhog.

“The Waterhog will not disappear,” Jackson said. “But because this is such a serious problem, we’ve taken the fun, whimsical aspect out of it.”

The board also approved a $2-million rebate program to induce county residents to install ultra-low-flow toilets and shower heads. Under the program, which is expected to save enough water per year to meet the household needs of 18,000 families, customers who replace their toilets could receive a $100 rebate.

Some water authority board members on Thursday said the drought response plan was particularly necessary in light of a growing public skepticism.

Anne Omsted, a board member who represents the San Dieguito Water District, said she believed county residents are fed up with conserving when they see growth continuing all around them.

“People are refusing to cooperate with conservation because of their perceptions of growth,” she said. “We have to acknowledge the relationship between drought and growth.”

David Drake, who represents the city of Escondido on the board, agreed, referring to the growth-related restrictions when he said, “This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like this before this board, and I’m very pleased to see it.”

But Mark W. Watton, a board member representing Otay Water District, was not the only member to acknowledge the radical impact the recommendations could have.

“Everybody’s going to be affected by this,” Watton said. “It will change lifestyles--some temporary and probably most permanent.”

Charles Rhodes, another assistant general manager, said that, if any member agencies fail to meet the 30% reduction goal, the authority may consider levying various penalties, including charging vastly inflated fines on the water used over the limit.

But Paul D. Engstrand, the authority’s general counsel, warned that the limited supply of water will not be alleviated by charging fines.

“There’s no way any (amount of) money is going to get you more water,” he said. “If you don’t have success, there’s no penalty (left to impose), but turning off people’s water.”

In other business, the board approved a 15% pay raise for Snow, the general manager, increasing his annual salary from $102,856 to $118,284, retroactive to Jan. 1.