2 Cities Ease Water Restrictions

The La Verne City Council last week voted 5 to 0 to relax water restrictions for residents, who on the average had been required to cut water use by 30% or pay more for excess water used.

Under the new restrictions, the average household will only have to cut 20% before being required to pay drought penalties for excess usage.

Previously, the council voted to impose drought penalties for households using more than 14,000 gallons per two-month billing period.

Under the new regulations, those who use more than 20,000 gallons per billing period must pay 18 cents for every extra thousand gallons used. Those using more than 30,000 gallons face escalating penalties.

* Customers of the Covina Water Department will get increased base allotments because of the heavy March rainfall and lower prices from the Metropolitan Water District.

The City Council on Tuesday voted 3 to 0 to increase each customer’s base allotment by 600 cubic feet. Councilmen Henry M. Morgan and Mayor Chris Lancaster were absent.

The council also voted to scale back its intermediate conservation measures for less stringent ones. Rescinding the old measures lifts the moratorium on pool, pond and Jacuzzi construction.

The new measures change lawn and landscape watering to every other day between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.