'Make every drop count
Council approves new water conservation measures, including fines for waste and breaks for those who save
By Joe Piasecki 04/16/2009
Hose down the driveway or leave the sprinklers on all afternoon and you’re not only out of touch but, under Pasadena’s new water-use policies, you’ll also have to pay for it.
City Council members on Monday unanimously approved water conservation, waste-prohibition and shortage plans that encourage Pasadena Water and Power customers to use less water by making it much more expensive to waste.
The most sweeping change is a switch to a budget-based rate structure — in which water remains cheap until a business or household exceeds its given allowance based on lot and household size, then becomes significantly pricier the more excess gallons are used — as early as next year. In the meantime, PWP will look to tweak its current tiered rate structure (based more on meter size than use) to penalize those who appear to be using excessive amounts. Both changes would require further council approval during a June 8 public hearing.
Budget-based rate structures are favored by many water experts and were endorsed by council members last year because they give consumers a choice whether to pay more for using more water or pay less for using less.
But for those to whom money (and conservation) is no object, the council also approved permanent bans on certain wasteful activities, and (after a warning) fines of up to $500 for homes and $1,000 for businesses to back them up.
Washing automobiles and paved surfaces with a garden hose is now forbidden, unless that hose has a shut-off nozzle (also required for daytime lawn irrigation), as is filling decorative fountains without recirculation systems. Restaurants may now only serve drinking water on request, and hotels must allow guests to decline daily linen services.
“These are lifestyle changes, not something to do because it’s not raining at the moment. We have to make every drop count,” said PWP Manager Phyllis Currie, who — with years of drought having drained Pasadena groundwater levels to their lowest in a decade — is anticipating a 10 to 15 percent reduction later this year in the amount of water the city can draw from other sources.
To get the word out about new prohibitions and enforce them, PWP is asking for as many as six new full-time positions, explained PWP water conservation program manager Nancy Long. But these aren’t simply water police, she and Currie explained. In addition to conservation-based rates and water waste-prohibitions, PWP will also be expanding incentives for water-saving technologies and practices, doing greater customer outreach and increasing water reclamation efforts.
Without imposing water-waste prohibitions, an idea initially rejected last year by council members, who instead called for development of the larger conservation plan, the city would no longer be eligible for state conservation grants.
“We’re not launching a police force as much as a group of water educators,” said Councilman Sid Tyler, who joined Councilman Victor Gordo in asking for a focus on inspiring voluntary compliance rather than issuing fines.
In the event of serious shortage conditions, the City Council can impose stricter prohibitions — from further restricting irrigation to banning it outright, along with filling pools and spas — and has already moved to declare a level-one shortage, thus allowing only three days of outdoor watering per week.
Pick up Pasadena Weekly’s Green Guide next week for more on the city water policies.
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