Many water agencies throughout the state of California are still trying to figure out how to comply with Gov. Jerry Brown’s executive order to cut down on water usage.
Sweetwater Authority customers so far haven’t had a problem meeting the governor’s order.
In May, the Sweetwater Authority reduced its water use by 24 percent, doubling its 12 percent mandated conservation rate, according to Sweetwater Authority figures.
But the real challenge as to how much water it can save comes when the weather heats up.
“The month of May was a very wet month and would have an impact on outdoor watering,” said South Bay Irrigation District board member Steve Castaneda on one of the reasons the water agency was able to meet Brown’s mandate.
“The test will be the dry hot months of summer.”
In April, Sweetwater Authority fell just short of its conservation goal as water usage was cut to 11 percent, according to a State Water Resources Control Board report.
That equates to 59.4 million less for April 2015 compared to April 2013. Sweetwater Authority customers in April used an average of 64 gallons of water per day.
The South Bay Irrigation District is under the same umbrella as the Sweetwater Authority and oversees water usage in west Chula Vista. The Sweetwater Authority provides water service to about 186,000 customers in National City, Bonita, western and central Chula Vista.
Otay water customers only cut water use by 2 percent in April.
“That’s a concern,” said Otay Water Board member Mitch Thompson about the agency not being able to reach its conservation goal of 20 percent.
Thompson said reduction measures are already in place such as rebate plans, leak protection programs and public outreach.
Brown signed an executive order last April mandating a 25 percent across the board reduction of water usage in California. Water agencies throughout the state lobbied for a modified reduction plan.
Castaneda said a 25 percent reduction would have drastically affected customers.
“We at Sweetwater were very concerned about that (25 percent reduction) because historically our customers have used the least amount of water in the entire county,” he said.
“A 25 percent reduction would have essentially kept customers from having the amount of water to handle most basic hygiene needs. The amount of reduction in revenue based on the water that we sell would have debilitated our district.”
The statewide water restrictions will be enforced July 1 with the state handing out heavy fines to water agencies that do not reach conservation goals.
Sweetwater Authority board members met Wednesday to enact all their requirements for the July 1 restrictions.
Thompson said the Otay Water board is still trying to find ways to adhere to the governor’s mandate come July 1.
Castaneda said he hopes there won’t be a cost increase to customers in order to meet the mandates. He said increasing the cost of water also affects the water agency.
“We’ve got to tighten our belts at the district because if we sell less water, which we are now, that means less revenue for the organization,” he said.
