THOUSAND OAKS : Council to Weigh 30% Water Cutback

Neighborhoods in central Thousand Oaks, including areas bordering the Moorpark Freeway, face a 30% mandatory cutback in water consumption under a plan to be considered Tuesday by the City Council.

Under the proposal, existing cutbacks of 20% would be raised to 30% effective April 1, City Utilities Director Don Nelson said in a report to the council.

The council will also consider hiring five new workers to enforce and answer questions about water conservation. The cost of that would be about $75,000 for the next three months. The city supplies 12,800 customers, including residents and businesses. Individual customers have already received notices in their water bills informing them how much they must conserve to avoid penalties.

Violators of the city’s conservation plan will be billed 3 cents for every 7.5 gallons of water consumed over their allotted use. The city is supplied through agencies that receive water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

MWD directors two weeks ago decided to cut back the agency’s deliveries to cities by 30% and to agriculture by 90%. The supplier for Thousand Oaks, the Calleguas Municipal Water District, has announced that it will pass on those cuts to its customers.