Water agencies not yet sure about cutbacks

Local water agencies have reported a moderate reduction in water use in recent months and are awaiting directives from state officials on how much more cutting back they’ll need to do before fines are levied.

Gov. Jerry Brown ordered mandatory water restrictions April 1 as California entered its fourth year of drought.The State Water Resources Control Board must implement measures that would cut water usage by 25% compared with 2013 levels.

In July, the board approved fines of up to $10,000 a day for local agencies that failed to comply with an emergency state rule intended to crack down on wasteful practices. At that time, Californians were instructed to stop washing down driveways and sidewalks, using hoses that aren’t fitted with shut-off nozzles to wash their cars, and relying on potable water in decorative fountains.

The board is expected to release the expanded regulations by April 17 and vote on the new rules in early May, according to the State Water Resources Control Board’s website.

Newport Beach officials want specifics before taking explicit action to reduce water use.

“There are parts of the executive order that are vague,” said George Murdoch, the city’s general manager for utilities. “We’re waiting to see what regulations are going to be implemented.”

On Tuesday, the water board announced that cities statewide reduced their water use by 2.8% in February, the lowest monthly reported conservation figure since the board began tracking data in July 2014.

Board Chairwoman Felicia Marcus called the results “very disturbing” and said they provide even more support for the governor’s call for mandatory reduction.

“I know many communities in the state stepped up since last summer and dramatically conserved water,” Marcus wrote in a news release, “but not enough communities in the state have saved enough water.”

In February, Newport Beach, where water is provided to 67,030 people, used 91 gallons per person per day. Since June 2014, the city has cumulatively reduced its water use by 7.7%, according to state data.

The Irvine Ranch Water District, which serves 384,154 customers in Irvine, unincorporated areas and portions of Newport Beach and other cities, used 59 gallons per person each day in February. The district has reduced its water use cumulatively by 1.8% since June 2014, state data show.

The Mesa Water District, which serves 108,000 customers in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, used 70 gallons of water per person per day in February. The agency has reduced cumulative water use since June 2014 by 3.7%, according to state data.

As in the past, local agencies will probably be tasked with creating their own plans to meet the state’s water-use requirements.

Newport Beach levies fines against “water wasters,” considered people who use more than their three-year average baseline, Murdoch said, noting that they are a small minority of users.

Repeat offenders face fines of up to $500.

“Residents are getting the message that we have to reduce,” he said. “They’re gearing up. We all want to do the right thing.”

Newport Beach limits lawn watering to four times a week and prohibits residents from refilling their pools more than 1 foot a week.

Mesa Water officials noted their recent conservation efforts, including “water-wise” house calls, which involve a surveyor visiting homes to check for leaky pipes, prepare a water budget for the site and offer tips on drought-tolerant landscaping.

The district offers water-efficiency workshops and a turf-removal rebate and enforces watering restrictions that mirror state guidelines.

Since November 2014, some 100,000 square feet of turf has been removed from Mesa Water territory as part of the program, said district spokeswoman Noelle Collins.

Other water distributors, such as the Irvine Ranch Water District, have built incentives into their rate structures.

In Irvine Ranch, each customer has a water budget based on regional use. When customers use more than the amount allocated, they’re charged significantly more.

Ratepayers often don’t realize they are being billed as “wasteful” until they see the price increase, officials said. The jump in cost often alerts customers to repairable leaks.

Irvine Ranch put the rate structure into effect in 1991, after an earlier drought in Southern California.

“I think our rate structure is the single most important thing we’ve done to help our customers save water,” said Beth Beeman, public affairs director with the Irvine Ranch Water District.

—Daily Pilot Staff Writer Bradley Zint contributed to this report.