LUCERNE — Due to summer temperatures and increased water usage, California Water Service Company (Cal Water) has issued notices to its Lucerne customers to conserve water throughout the summer.
The company says the measures are necessary to ensure adequate supplies for fire protection and to guard against low water pressure and service interruptions.
Cal Water is asking residents to eliminate or postpone nonessential watering, such as car washing and hosing down driveways.
Customers also are asked to adhere to a watering/irrigation schedule; if a customer”s address ends in an even number, they should water and irrigate on even days of the month; odd address numbers should water on odd-numbered days of the month.
To assist in conservation efforts, Cal Water has water-conserving household devices available free to customers at their customer center in Lucerne. Items include water-efficient shower heads, garden hose nozzles with shut-off valves, kitchen sink aerator or toilet leak indicator tablets.
“We do expect to offer a rebate program in the last quarter of this year for washing machines and low-flow toilets,” said Shannon Dean, Director of Corporate Communications with Cal Water, “but it”s up to the CPUC.”
Dean explained rebate offers vary by district ? and that it”s up to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to determine what can be offered.
“We expect that they”ll approve it,” Dean said, “but it”s part of the general rate case,” which currently is before the CPUC.
Every three years, privately held utility companies that provide public services can ask the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to allow them to raise customer rates.
In September, Cal Water requested that the CPUC approve a 273-percent increase in water rates for Lucerne residents to pay for a new water plant.
To protest the rate increase a local group, the Lucerne Community Water Organization (LCWO) formed to formally intervene in the rate-setting case.
In March, all parties in the rate case settled to establish a new Rate Support Fund (RSF) to address the issues of who would pay for the upgrades to the water plant and how to give a subsidy to low-income residents.
However, the entire case is still before Administrative Law Judge James McVicar who is awaiting additional information from the Department of Ratepayer Advocates and Cal Water before he makes a final decision on what the rates will be.
According to Cal Water”s Web site, they purchase more than 400,000 gallons of Clear Lake water per day from the Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District just for Lucerne customers.
For more information about Cal Water”s conservation tips, visit www.calwater.com.
The next meeting for LCWO is 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 12, at the Lucerne firehouse. For more information on LCWO, visit www.lcwo.org.
Contact Terre Logsdon at tlogsdon@record-bee.com.
