State eases water-conservation targets for Pismo Beach, SLO

Two cities in San Luis Obispo County received a slight reprieve this week in a revised list of conservation targets released by the State Water Resources Control Board.

Pismo Beach now has to reduce urban water consumption by 24 percent, and San Luis Obispo has to cut its use by 12 percent.

Pismo Beach was initially targeted for a 35 percent reduction, the most severe water cutback, before city officials said residents used less water than was reported to the state. San Luis Obispo’s initial proposed cut was 25 percent.

The state water board on Tuesday released a revised draft of water conservation regulations, which will be considered for adoption next week.

Earlier this month, in response to the state’s prolonged and historic drought, Gov. Jerry Brown issued an emergency order calling on the water board to produce a plan for cutting urban water use statewide 25 percent compared with 2013 usage, The Sacramento Bee reported.

The board has responded with a series of proposals for reaching that goal, targeting communities that used the most water per capita last summer for the biggest cuts.

The revised proposal leaves unchanged a tiered structure that calls for the steepest cuts to fall on the heaviest summer water users.

The framework divides the state’s 411 urban water agencies into nine tiers, based on their per capita water use between July and September last year, according to The Bee.

The water reductions remain the same for the other San Luis Obispo County communities included on the list. Already recognized as water savers, Cambria and Grover Beach are required to cut water use by 8 percent.

Morro Bay must cut 12 percent; while Atascadero, Paso Robles, Arroyo Grande and Nipomo must cut 28 percent, up from 25 percent in the earlier proposal.

This story was originally published April 30, 2015 at 9:46 AM with the headline "State eases water-conservation targets for Pismo Beach, SLO."