A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 24, 2009
2. Supply –
Local districts will see 8 percent cut in deliveries as of July 1
The
By Bradley J. Fikes
Mandatory water conservation has arrived in
San Diego County Water Authority, supplier of three-quarters of the water used in the county, declared mandatory conservation to be immediately in effect at its Thursday meeting.
It placed the county in a "Level 2" drought alert condition.
The authority also ordered an 8 percent cut in deliveries to its 24 member agencies, the retailers for homes and business customers, effective July 1.
The drought alert empowers those local water agencies to enact mandatory restrictions to compensate for the reduced deliveries. Examples of the restrictions include rate hikes on excess use, limits on outdoor watering, and mandates to promptly repair leaks.
The specific restrictions and water rate hikes depend on the local water agency, as does the exact amount of water cuts in each district, said Maureen Stapleton, the authority's general manager. Some districts have local supplies that augment what they get from the authority.
Customers should look for advice on what they are required to do from their local water district.
The level of reduction called for should be fairly easy to achieve, said Ken Weinberg, the authority's director of water resources.
"By watering three days a week, fixing leaks, and not hosing down your driveway, we're going to see a lot of water savings," Weinberg said.
Agricultural customers who bought water at a discounted rate have already been hit with a 30 percent reduction in supplies, and those cuts will continue. Some farmers have permanently reduced the acreage devoted to tree crops, such as citrus and avocados.
The restrictions are intended to offset reduced deliveries from its own main supplier, Metropolitan Water District. Metropolitan's supplies have dropped due to environmental restrictions on pumping water from
Metropolitan will cut deliveries to the San Diego County Water Authority by about 13 percent. But because of voluntary conservation and development of other water supplies, the cuts are less severe than they otherwise would have been, Stapleton said.
"The good news is that our strategic plan has worked, and in the last several years we have significantly diversified our water supply portfolio," Stapleton said.
An agreement to get water from the Imperial Irrigation District will supply more than 60,000 acre-feet of water in the year beginning July 1, enough for 120,000 families, Stapleton said. An acre-foot is about 329,000 gallons of water. Water saved from lining the Coachella and All-American canals will bring about 80,000 acre-feet.
"These supplies are going to significantly reduce the impact of the water shortage on the region," Stapleton said.#
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