AG declares Stage 1 water emergency with mandatory conservation

Starting next month, most Arroyo Grande residents will be required to use at least 10 percent less water each billing period than they did in 2014 — though some households will be required to conserve more.

The Arroyo Grande City Council unanimously approved an emergency ordinance at its meeting Tuesday night, declaring a Stage 1 water shortage emergency and requiring city residents and businesses to cut back on their water use or face penalties. The changes will be evident in customers’ next water bill.

“I’ve been pushing a drought (response) ordinance for a long time,” Councilman Tim Brown said. “Nobody is happy about this, but it is something that has to be done.”

Arroyo Grande draws its water from two sources: the Santa Maria groundwater basin and Lopez Lake. According to city Public Works Director Geoff English, water levels at the Lopez reservoir are expected to fall below the 15,000 acre-foot marker some time this summer, which will automatically trigger a 10 percent reduction in water deliveries. The area’s groundwater levels also have been falling, English said, with some areas of the basin finishing the year with water elevations below sea level, putting it at risk for seawater intrusion.

Combined with the State Water Resources Control Board’s recent mandate for Arroyo Grande to reduce water consumption by 28 percent, the city felt it was necessary to declare a Stage 1 water shortage emergency.

“The governor’s mandate — the 28 percent — kind of dealt us the card that showed something needed to be done with water,” Councilman Jim Guthrie said during the meeting. “I think it is time for this.”

Under the new ordinance, residents will be assigned a baseline amount of water based upon the amount of water used during the same billing period in 2014. That baseline will determine how much the customer is required to conserve.

Residential customers who use fewer than 10 units of water — about 7,480 gallons — in their bimonthly billing period will not be required to cut water use; they will only be required to not increase their use above their baseline amount.

Residential customers who use between 11 and 18 units — 8,228 to 13,464 gallons — over the two-month billing period will have to reduce consumption by 10 percent; those who use between 19 and 36 units — 14,212 to 26,928 gallons — must cut back 20 percent.

Customers who use more than 37 units — 27,676 gallons — will be required to cut their water consumption by 30 percent.

About 68 percent of Arroyo Grande customers use 18 units of water or fewer, Community Development Director Teresa McClish said during the meeting.

Businesses with a separate irrigation meter will be required to cut their outside water use by 25 percent year over year. Businesses are not being asked to reduce their total water use at this time, McClish said.

If customers fail to cut water use by the appropriate amount, they will be subject to fines of up to $200 for repeated offenses and could be referred to the city attorney to be prosecuted under the city municipal code. First-time offenders can waive the penalty if they attend a voluntary “water conservation class.”

The penalty is added to the customer’s regular bill, and failure to pay could result in their water service being cut off.

Residents can also appeal violations to the city if there are circumstances explaining the increased water use, such as a new person moving into the household, McClish said.

In the future, if the water shortage progresses to the point the city cannot meet “basic, minimum household health and safety requirements,” the City Council could choose to declare a Stage 2 water shortage emergency, which would result in further restrictions.

City residents are already prohibited from using water to clean driveways, patios, parking lots, sidewalks and streets, among other uses that result in excessive gutter runoff, or from emptying and refilling swimming pools and commercial spas except to prevent structural damage.

Outdoor irrigation has also been restricted to four days a week and cannot take place between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

This story was originally published May 26, 2015 at 9:50 PM with the headline "AG declares Stage 1 water emergency with mandatory conservation."