THE DROUGHT : Officials Expect Problems Meeting New Water Cuts

Farm leaders and government officials in Ventura County said Tuesday that they expect difficulties in complying with an order from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California that mandates more stringent cutbacks in water use than previously anticipated.

The MWD board of directors ordered mandatory cutbacks beginning Feb. 1 that require a 10% reduction in water use for residential and industrial customers and 30% cutbacks for agricultural users.

Last month, the district had ordered cuts of only 5% for residential users and 20% for agricultural customers. The new cuts affect virtually the entire eastern half of Ventura County as well as most of Southern California.

Both farm leaders and city officials expect that the cutbacks eventually may lead to tough city water conservation programs in Thousand Oaks and elsewhere that could include stiff economic penalties for excess water usage.

Don Reeder, president of the Ventura County Farm Bureau, said farmers were shocked to learn that they will have to either cut back on water even more than previously expected or face the possibility of large fines for failing to comply with the mandated cuts.

“I know we could live with 20%. With 30% it’s going to be very, very difficult,” Reeder said.

The agricultural industry is still reeling from a freeze that last month killed about $100-million worth of crops. Some farmers are wondering whether they have enough of a harvest to irrigate, Reeder said.

“With the shellshock from the frost . . . nobody’s in a good mood,” Reeder said. “They’re wondering what’s happening to them.”

The Metropolitan Water District’s largest customer in Ventura County is the Calleguas Water District, which supplies three cities--Simi Valley, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks--with most of their water. Calleguas also supplies half of Camarillo’s water and about two-thirds of Oxnard’s water.

The stiffer cutbacks were prompted by reports that two reservoirs in the state water project, Lake Oroville north of Sacramento and the San Luis Reservoir west of Fresno, are at dangerously low levels, an MWD official said.

Ventura County officials say they have been preparing for water rationing by asking residents to voluntarily conserve. But residents will have a hard time cutting back, they said.

In Simi Valley, residents have reduced water usage under a voluntary program by only about 5%, said Michael Kleinbrodt, deputy director of public works.

“It’s not enough, based on the latest request by MWD, but then again the community has not been requested to cut back further,” Kleinbrodt said.

Kleinbrodt said the Simi Valley City Council will likely schedule hearings to impose a mandatory water rationing plan within the next month. He did not know what kind of cutbacks or penalties may be imposed.

“That’s something we have to evaluate now,” he said.

In Thousand Oaks, residents are having a hard time cutting back. Paul Swenson, city water conservation coordinator, said residents have reduced water use about 2.4% compared to last year, far below the 10% requested under the city’s voluntary program.

“I don’t know how hard they’re going to work to attain another 5%,” he said. “A lot of people will forget about the drought in the wintertime, but we’re nowhere near being out of this drought.”

The Thousand Oaks City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing Tuesday to impose the city’s first mandatory emergency water-rationing plan. Adopted in October, the plan calls for residents to reduce water use or face heavy penalties on their water bills.

Excessive users could also be forced to install flow-restricting devices on faucets or have their water shut off, according to the plan.

The “upcoming water shortage, the problem it portends for this community” makes mandatory conservation necessary, Councilwoman Judy Lazar said at a council meeting Tuesday night.

But one Camarillo official said she is optimistic that city residents can meet the order to cut back because of a recent study that shows a 10.6% drop in water usage in the city over the last eight months.

“I think those cutbacks can be achieved,” said Councilwoman Charlotte Craven, who sits on the city’s water committee. “People, if they really want to, they can cut back.”

Part of the MWD order involves fines for water agencies that do not make the necessary cutbacks. Agencies will have to pay triple the $197-per-acre-foot price for water they use above their targeted goal.

But agencies that use less will get a credit of $99 per acre-foot. An acre-foot is equal to about 325,000 gallons, enough to supply a family of four for a year.

Reddy Pakala, manager of the Ventura County Water Works Districts 1 and 19, said any charges the district has to pay must be passed on to water customers, including 464 Moorpark and Somis farmers.

In those areas, farmers have been unable to achieve more than a 15% reduction in water use, Pakala said. The last two-month billing period showed only a 12% to 14% reduction, he said.

“I think farmers will have to make hard decisions,” Pakala said. “Due to the freeze, their crops may have frozen, but the larger trees are still there, and they still have to irrigate.”

Rex Laird, executive director of the Ventura County Farm Bureau, questioned whether farmers can afford to pay more for water. Many farmers have already spent thousands of dollars on equipment to save water, and those who use imported water already pay the highest water rates in the county, he said.

Laird said farmers will have to balance the economics of cutting back with paying more to use the water they need. They may also allow their crops to die, he said.

“It’s a matter of making a business decision,” he said.