Westlake, Newbury Park Face 30% Cuts : Water: Two agencies act swiftly to avoid harsh fines. Officials say similar levels soon could be imposed on the rest of Thousands Oaks.

About half the residents of Thousand Oaks face 30% mandatory water cutbacks beginning April 1 because of conservation measures adopted by two private agencies in compliance with orders from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

The cutbacks affect a total of 23,600 customers in Westlake and Newbury Park, officials of the California Water Service Co. and California American Water Co. said Monday.

Until now, residents in those areas have been under orders to trim consumption by 20% since March 1.

The 30% cutbacks are the stiffest imposed in Thousand Oaks to date, although city officials say the entire city could soon face similar reductions. Other cities in the county are also falling in line with the cutbacks that were ordered by MWD at an emergency meeting March 4.

Sam Palermo Jr., manager of the California Water Service Co., said the agencies moved quickly to adopt higher cutbacks because of the hefty penalties levied for overuse.

“If you do not meet the directive, then we, the purveyor, will be penalized,” Palermo said.

Water agencies are subject to fines of $394 for every acre-foot used over their allotments, and credits of $99 per acre-foot for saving water. An acre-foot is 326,000 gallons, enough to supply two families for a year.

Last month, many of the agency’s 6,600 customers in Westlake failed to trim their usage, Palermo said. As a result, the agency faces about $35,000 in fines.

Judy Almond, manager of California American Water Co., said the agency adopted more stringent cutbacks last week after receiving a notice from its supplier, the Calleguas Municipal Water District, that the cutbacks would be passed on to all its customers.

About 17,000 customers in the western part of Thousand Oaks will have to get used to saving more, she said.

Calleguas supplies all the water used by Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley, 75% of the water consumed in Moorpark, half the water for Camarillo, and two-thirds of Oxnard’s water.

While both Palermo and Almond said they hope that most customers will abide by the order, those in the affluent neighborhoods of Westlake may face the toughest problems conserving.

In addition to areas south of the Ventura Freeway in eastern Thousand Oaks, California Water Service supplies sprawling estates near the North Ranch Country Club north of the freeway.

Some of the largest houses occupy 8,000 square feet on lots ranging from half an acre to five acres.

The average Westlake customer uses about 750 gallons a day, compared with the average use per household of 623 gallons a day in the rest of Thousand Oaks, officials said.

“They’re watering lots of acreage, and they possibly have been in the past,” Palermo said.

The city is waiting until hearings scheduled today and March 19 to adopt the more stringent restrictions for the central area of Thousand Oaks, which is now scheduled for 20% cutbacks, said Don Nelson, director of the utilities department, which supplies 12,800 customers in central Thousand Oaks with water.

Nelson said the City Council would have to approve a resolution ordering a 30% mandatory cutback for that portion of Thousand Oaks. City Council approval was not needed for the increased cuts in Westlake and Newbury Park.

While Westlake and Newbury Park residents began rationing nearly two weeks ago, residents will not face mandatory 20% cutbacks until next week. Customers only last week began receiving notices informing them of the number of gallons that they must conserve to avoid penalties.

The utilities department has been flooded recently with calls from residents confused about who their suppliers are and what kinds of cutbacks they face, Nelson said.

“With three different water purveyors in town, we know there’s confusion,” Nelson said.

All water customers in Thousand Oaks who fail to conserve must pay $3 for every 748 gallons that they use over their quotas.

Mayor Frank Schillo said there is widespread support for more stringent cutbacks citywide. He joined 33 water and city officials on a two-day trip last week to Northern and Central California to view state reservoirs and pump stations.

Schillo said he is convinced, after seeing far below normal water levels at two state reservoirs, that adopting more stringent cutbacks of 30% is the only way to make city residents conserve.

“You can see it with your own eyes. There’s just no water,” he said. “You can see where the watermark is and where the water actually is, and there’s a long distance between the two.”