American Canyon looks at four-step water-ration plan The Vallejo Times-Herald – 4/28/09 By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen AMERICAN CANYON-- City officials will know by June if water rationing for residents and businesses will be necessary for the first time in more than 20 years, a spokesman said Monday. "The situation right now is dire," said City Manager Richard Ramirez, who stressed that rationing is not necessarily inevitable. "Right now, we're scheduled to institute mandatory cutting back by 20 percent June 1. And we're doing everything possible to find additional supply sources so we can provide a stable water supply." That's been an uphill battle in this third year of a statewide drought, Ramirez said. "We're very fortunate with the relationship and contract we have with the city of Vallejo for treated water, but that water is significantly more expensive, and the rate schedule is not set up to accommodate it," he said. Ramirez said that if the city can't conserve its way out of its water shortfall and can't find a reasonably priced new source by June, "extraordinary steps would have to be taken." The last time water rationing was imposed in American Canyon was before the city was incorporated, he said. "I believe it was in the early 1980s and lasted one year," he said. According to a City Council passed ordinance, were rationing to be deemed necessary, it would "mean less water on demand," Ramirez said. It could even mean some customers would have to ask for water when needed, he said. The ordinance established a Water Conservation Plan just days before Gov. Arnold Schwar-zenegger declared a drought emergency, calling for all urban water customers to decrease water use by 20 percent and directing local agencies to implement water use reduction plans and conservation efforts. The ordinance approved in February includes prohibitions against water waste that are in effect at all times, and establishes four conservation stages in the event of a drought or water emergency. Stage One calls for a voluntary 10 percent reduction in water use. Stage Two, which kicks in June 1, is a mandatory 20 percent reduction compared to the same period the previous year. In a water emergency, Stage Three kicks in, requiring a mandatory 30 percent reduction and, the final stage, for a severe water emergency, requires customers to cut consumption by half.# http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_12244013 South Bay water agency to cut summer supply by as much as 15% The Los Angeles Daily Breeze – 4/27/09 By Kristin S. Agostoni
The water agency that serves most of the South Bay decided Monday it will cut supplies to its customers by 10 to 15 percent come summer.
At an afternoon meeting in Carson, the five-member West Basin Municipal Water District board voted unanimously to set the agency's so-called Water Shortage Allocation Plan into motion. The program, crafted last fall in response to the state's drought and court rulings affecting shipments from Northern California, establishes pre-determined amounts of water that West Basin's customer agencies can use without penalty over a 12-month period. And that puts the onus on those customers - which include both private water companies and local cities - to encourage residents to use water sparingly to avoid paying penalty rates in the future. "They need to do their part now in trying to get the message down to the consumer," said Fernando Paludi, West Basin's manager of planning and water resources. The agency has planned a workshop at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 28, to discuss the plan with its customers, Paludi said. The allocation plan will be in effect from July 1 to June 30, 2010. The board's move Monday follows on the heels of a decision two weeks ago by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the region's major water wholesaler. On April 14, the MWD board activated a plan calling for a 10 percent cut in deliveries to its member agencies, which include West Basin, and set penalty rates for water use above target levels. In addition, the board approved an 8.8 percent hike in its wholesale rates, effective Sept. 1, as well as a $69 per-acre-foot Delta surcharge, which reflects the wholesaler's costs in dealing with the loss of imports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta. West Basin could adopt its own increases next month, Paludi said. Not including penalties, those higher rates are expected to pencil out to roughly $4 extra per month for households within the West Basin service area, officials said. While the South Bay supplier prepares to step up its call for water conservation, the agency did notice a 7 percent decline in imported water usage last year compared to 2005, which has been used as a baseline in the water allocation plan. Still, Paludi said, the agency wanted to be conservative in asking for 10 to 15 percent cuts to ensure targets are met. West Basin offers several tips for scaling back water usage - from turning off the tap when shaving or brushing teeth, installing low-flow shower heads, limiting showers to five minutes, using full loads in the washing machine and dishwasher, and planting drought-resistant landscaping. # http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_12240834 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DWR’s California Water News is distributed to California Department of Water Resources management and staff, for information purposes, by the DWR Public Affairs Office. For reader’s services, including new subscriptions, temporary cancellations and address changes, please use the online page: http://listhost2.water.ca.gov/mailman/listinfo/water_news . DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs. Inclusion of materials is not to be construed as an endorsement of any programs, projects, or viewpoints by the Department or the State of California. | 
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