TUSTIN : Water Rationing Ordinance Passes

The City Council on Monday night approved a water conservation ordinance to reduce consumption by 15%.

The ordinance, which carries penalties for noncompliance, will apply to all water use after April 22. Bills sent out in June will levy any penalties for excessive water use.

Under the plan, each customer will be assigned a water-use limit determined by type of use and time of year.

A household would, for example, be allowed to use about 600 gallons a day between May and October, or 48 billing units for each two-month period. Each billing unit over the limit would be billed at $1.61 instead of the current 90 cents. The average use for single-family households during the summer months has been between 35 and 40 billing units per two-month period, according to city figures.

Users who believe they cannot meet the requirements can appeal to the city.

City officials said the plan is necessary because of a recent 30% water-supply reduction by the Metropolitan Water District. Tustin gets between 30% and 35% of its water from MWD and pumps the rest from local sources. The MWD fined Tustin $7,000 for excessive consumption in February, officials said.

The cuts will not affect residents of Tustin Ranch or south Tustin, who are served by the Irvine Ranch Water District. It will apply to North Tustin residents who use Tustin water service.