Rushing to Refill : Owners of Pools, Spas Make Last-Ditch Effort Before Rationing Begins

It had been years since Len Price changed the water in his swimming pool, a 35,000-gallon rectangle that was gradually becoming encrusted with calcium.

But with mandatory rationing set to begin Friday for Los Angeles residents, the 52-year-old meat salesman suddenly found the motivation he needed.

“I figured it was now or never,” said Price, who began refilling the pool earlier this week. “Who knows when you’ll be able to do it again.”

Across the city, hundreds of pool and spa owners are scrambling to drain out water, make last-minute repairs and pump in fresh water--all to avoid the stiff penalties that will be imposed after the March 1 deadline.

At San-Rock Pool Plastering in Sylmar, calls for repairs have jumped from about 15 a week to 15 a day in the last month.

All-American Pool Service in Hollywood, where winter business is normally slow, has already serviced its spring and summer accounts.

And at Steve’s Pool & Spa in Northridge, customers have been asking servicemen to fill their pools to the brim.

“They want it all the way to the top . . . on the verge of spilling over,” said Steve Lasdon, the firm’s owner. “After rationing hits, they figure they’ll just have to put in a little more to keep it full.”

Although officials at the Department of Water and Power say that they always urge people to be conservation-minded, there is no policy specifically governing the draining and filling of the estimated 100,000 swimming pools in the city.

Under the rationing measures approved last week by the City Council, residents will have to reduce their consumption by 10% of what they used in 1986. The first violation will result in a fine equal to 15% of the water bill, plus $3 for every 748 gallons above the allotment.

Pool service companies, however, complain that it will be impossible for people to maintain their pools and not exceed their ration. With the new penalties, they say, the cost of filling a 30,000-gallon pool could jump from about $40 to more than $300.

Under the Los Angeles plan, officials will consider exceptions for pools that need emergency repairs or are health hazards.

But for those embarking on major repairs or cleaning, the prospect of a swollen water bill is still disconcerting.

“Hopefully, we’ll encounter some understanding,” said William Zemp, 50, who was getting a repair estimate this week to fix the cracks in his 15,000-gallon pool in the hills above Beverly Glen.

“Obviously, I wish I had done this earlier,” he said. “But it has to be done. I’m not sure I really have a choice.”

Times staff writer Christopher Elliott in San Francisco contributed to this story.