May 14, 2008 12:34 am US/Pacific
Mandatory Water Rationing Imposed In East Bay
OAKLAND (CBS 5 / KCBS / AP / BCN) ―
Residents and businesses in Alameda and Contra Costa counties will have to cut down on how much water they use.
The East Bay Municipal Utility District Board voted unanimously Tuesday to impose mandatory water rationing on its 1.3 million customers in the two counties.
The drought management program approved by the board aims to curtail water use by 15 percent compared to average annual demand in the district.
This is the first time in nearly 20 years the East Bay's largest water utility has moved to impose mandatory rationing. The board took that step because the water district is facing a severe water shortage.
The vote means homeowners will have to cut their water usage by as much as 19 percent, while larger customers such as golf courses and others involved in heavy irrigation are required to cut usage by 30 percent.
The district's plan forbids activities like washing a car while letting the hose run, washing sidewalks and patios instead of sweeping, running water fountains that don't recycle water, and watering lawns more than three times a week.
"Our goal is to impact people's lives as little as possible and get the maximum amount of conservation that we can," said Andrea Pook, spokeswoman for EBMUD. "So really, we're going after water waste."
Customers caught going against these prohibitions will be cited, though the cost of the fine is still uncertain, Pook said.
EBMUD directors on Tuesday also discussed increasing water rates while the shortage lasts -- but a final decision on new rates won't be made until a public hearing on July 8.
New rates adopted then could go into effect in August and show up on customers' bills by September.
The rate hike would include a ten percent increase for all customers, who would also be asked to consume 10 percent less than their average use for the last three years.
A $2 surcharge would be added to the bill for each unit of water used that exceeds each consumer's goal.
Customers who already use little water less than 100 gallons per house per day would be exempted from the rate hike and the surcharge, Pook said.
Water district officials blamed two consecutive dry winters for the emergency situation. In addition, March and April of this year were the second-driest two-month period on record for the East Bay watershed in its 85-year history.
The Sierra Nevada snowpack, a main source of California's water supply, has fallen one-third below normal levels and is not replenishing drinking water supplies as usual.
Instead of seeing water levels rise in EBMUD's Pardee and Camanche Reservoirs, as is typical when Sierra snows melt in the spring, officials said they saw the levels decrease.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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