Lake County >> Some urban areas may be forced to scramble in order to meet the 25 percent mandatory reduction ordered by Gov. Jerry Brown last week. Palm Springs, Los Angeles and other cities report water usage rates well above average. But most Lake County residents can anticipate little or no changes.
How much a district has already reduced water usage will determine cutback goals, which the state board is currently trying to iron out. The board is slated to adopt the regulations in May and place them into effect by June 1.
“I believe we were proactive, we saw the drought coming long before state declared it an emergency,” Jan Coppinger, compliance coordinator for Lake County Special Districts, explained.
The 10 water systems special district runs have seen an average of 20 to 40 percent drop in water use compared to 2013, Coppinger said. The state as a whole, however, saw its lowest conservation mark in February — a mere 2.8 percent reduction — since it started tracking data in July 2014, the California Water Board announced Tuesday.
“I know many communities in the state stepped up since last summer and dramatically conserved water. But not enough communities in the state have saved enough water,” State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus said.
Coppinger credits the county’s reduction to emergency ordinances set in place in March 2014 because of a drop in water levels in wells. The ordinances called for all customers to keep water usage limited to varying cubic feet numbers per month, depending upon the service area. Some ordinances have since been lifted, but Paradise Valley, Spring Valley, Mount Hannah, Bonanza Springs and Starview water systems all remain in urgency ordinances with mandatory conservation measures.
Coppinger said she doesn’t foresee many additional changes for county water users, “because we have been very effective at meeting the state’s goals.”
Golden State Water Company, which serves a portion of Clearlake, has reduced usage by 26 percent based on a five-year average from 2005 to 2009, according to general manager Paul Schuber.
“Customers in Clearlake have done a great job on water conservation,” Schuber said. “The lake is the only source of water, and I think everybody is really sensitive of the level of water in it.”
A representative from the Highlands Water Company also noted that customers are considerate and concerned.
Neither water company currently has a set of mandatory restrictions in place. Both are waiting on more specific guidelines from the state before making any changes.
Schuber said customers will most likely be required to limit landscape irrigation, which the Konocti Water District, also based in Clearlake, has already done in compliance with the state’s emergency regulation it expanded last month.
First adopted in 2014, the regulation prohibits washing down sidewalks and driveways, watering outdoor landscapes in a manner that causes excess runoff, washing cars using a hose without a fitted shut-off nozzle, operating fountains and irrigation following 48 hours of considerable rainfall.
When the water board announced the expansion on March 17, it added to its list banning restaurants from serving water to customers unless requested, and requiring hotels and motels to provide guests with the option of choosing not to have towels and linens washed daily and prominently display notice of the option. The restrictions go into effect on April 15.
Again, some Lake County restaurants are already one step ahead, such as TNT in Lakeport which started serving water only upon request in December. Kour Thai Restaurant has been doing so for years.
Lake County water providers may not need to make huge changes, but many are already scheduling meetings in anticipation of the state board’s anticipated guides.
