Drought Paradox : Conservation: MWP campaign is kicked off on the same day that heavy rains pound the state.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California picked a bad day to start the first phase of its $3.5-million ad campaign encouraging water conservation.

But then, it was only one of the odd things that began happening when California was paradoxically afflicted with a drought and heavy rain simultaneously.

On Monday, the water agency began running radio advertisements, contrasting the sound of the Oroville Reservoir five years ago, bubbling with torrents of rushing water, to the way it sounded until very recently: a dry, howling desert wind and dry earth cracking under footsteps.

And that same day, the first of a continuing series of storms hit the drought-plagued state and the reservoir in Sacramento began rising.

“It was a strange coincidence. I’m sure a lot of people must have been confused . . . to hear a commercial on how severe the water situation was while their windshield wipers were on,” MWD spokesman Bob Gomperz said.

By Wednesday, the water agency decided to pull the ads, after learning that the reservoir had risen by 300,000 acre feet of water since the beginning of March. Gomperz said the district is postponing the ad campaign until April 1, when the next phase of drought cutbacks begins, a 50% reduction in water sales to local water companies. And so, although water officials insist that the drought is not yet over, it seemed fairly ironic, if not outright bizarre, to preach water conservation in a downpour.

The drought busters, the conservation officers who patrol the city looking for water-wasters, had the luxury of sitting at home to ponder the irony of the situation. The rain has temporarily put them out of work.

“Excessive runoff is hard to identify on a rainy day. And most people don’t water on a rainy day, so there’s no point in sending them out,” said Tom Jamentz, Department of Water and Power conservation manager.

And because they are part-time employees, the inspectors are not paid for their day off.

Some employees who need the money are not happy about not working, said Robert Des Ermia, who coordinates the program in the San Fernando Valley. He tries, however, to schedule them for an extra day later in the week. Others are more enthusiastic when they call on a rainy morning and learn about the temporary hiatus.

“One of them said, ‘This is great! Now I can go back to sleep,’ ” Des Ermia said.

The storms will not interfere with DWP efforts to persuade its customers to continue conserving “because we still have the ordinance in effect, and the requirements are still that customers will cut back by 10% now, and 15% by May 1,” DWP spokesman Ed Freudenburg said.

But in Santa Clarita, where there is an ordinance prohibiting wasteful uses of water, but no mandatory residential cutbacks, the rain might make the job of selling the idea of conservation more difficult, said Bill Manetta, president of the Santa Clarita Water Co.

“There will be a lot of interesting questions, talking about drought when it’s raining outside,” he said.

Some saw the storms as a pay-back for enthusiastic conservation efforts. At the Knollwood Country Club in Granada Hills, groundskeepers had put off giving the greens a sorely needed deep watering. Now, it will not be necessary.

“To me it’s kind of rewarding,” said Scott Hamilton, golf course superintendent. Hamilton said he has been especially vigilant in water conservation, far exceeding the mandatory 10% cutback.

For residents of Lake Hughes, a mountain hamlet in the Angeles National Forest, the rainfall meant they finally had their lake back--sort of.

“We have lake-front property now!” said Judy Sorensen, who lives with her husband, Ed, in a cabin on the eastern shore. Four years ago, the Sorensens moved to Lake Hughes from Frazier Park, specifically because they fell in love with the lakeside ambience of the cabin.

But as the drought continued, the lake level fell lower and lower, until it finally vanished. They were so disappointed they considered selling the cabin.

Now, although she estimates the water is only about a foot deep, it is coming back to life before her eyes.

“The ducks returned,” she said.

The Royal Garden, a Chinese restaurant in Agoura Hills, remained closed for the second evening after rushing rainwater Monday night caused a retaining wall and part of the parking lot to collapse.

A city inspector told restaurant employees Tuesday morning that the building was sound, manager Flora Cheng said. But Tuesday night, as they were about to open at 5 p.m., a different inspector forbid them to reopen.