[KHTS] Santa Clarita Valley water agency officials gathered Tuesday to discuss conservation measures facing Santa Clarita Valley water ratepayers.

The measures, expected to be passed by local water agencies this week, are in response to Gov. Jerry Brown’s call for a 20 percent reduction in water usage due to near historic lows in rainfall levels over the last few years, and the driest year on record in 2013.

“Education is our goal, not fines,” said Dirk Marks, water resource manager for the Castaic Lake Water Agency, which wholesales the Santa Clarita Valley’s water supply from the State Water Project to local retailers.

The idea is to raise awareness about the need to conserve, and to hit the state’s goal of 20 percent reduction in water usage, said Dan Masnada, general manager for the CLWA.

The suggested measures created by the Santa Clarita Valley Water Committee, which has met several times in recent months to create clear and consistent guidelines for ratepayers, are not meant to be punitive, he said.

The restrictions include no lawn-watering on Saturdays, and from April to October, there are three assigned days when one can water the lawn, and two days during the rest of the year.

Irrigation typically accounts for about 60 percent of water usage in the Santa Clarita Valley, Marks said.

There are also certain exemptions to some of the water restrictions, depending on whether the ratepayer takes part in lawn-replacement programs. For information on any possible exemptions or programs, a ratepayer should contact their water retailer.

Residents also are expected to be prohibited from hosing down driveways and sidewalks, prompted to turn off any decorative water fountains that don’t recycle water and banned from washing their cars unless the hose is fitted with a nozzle that allows it to stop running when not in use, according to the proposals.

The suggested systems being voted on this week — the Valencia Water Co. and the Santa Clarita Water Division are expected to adopt restrictions at their respective meetings Wednesday, and the Newhall County Water District on Thursday — would require at least three violations before fines occur. Los Angeles Water Works District, which includes part of unincorporated Los Angeles County, adopted the measures in July.

Furthermore, the notices of violation are expected to be followed up by contact with water officials at the respective water retailer, said Steve Cole, general manager for the Newhall County Water District.

If there’s no resolution after three violations, then the third violation could earn a $50 fine, and subsequent violations could result in fines of up to $50 per day after a fourth violation.

The restrictions have a 270-day trigger, Cole said, meaning the restrictions would be evaluated again at that time based on the rainfall levels.

The revenues from fines are up to the discretion of the respective water retailer, Cole said, but NCWD intended to put the money back into conservation programs.

The proposed restrictions are part of a Water Action Plan drafted by Santa Clarita Valley Water Committee officials in an effort to comply with the state’s mandatory water restriction requirements issued as a result of prolonged drought conditions.

The drought was declared by Brown on Jan. 17 in response to the driest year on record, water officials said.

Results from the drought can be seen in the Santa Clarita Valley, especially in Castaic Lake, a reservoir created as part of the State Water Project. The lake has seen its water levels reduced by more than 40 percent — from about 230,078 acre feet to about 147,390 acre feet, and officials have put restrictions in place there, as well.

The Santa Clarita Valley only has rights to about 2 percent of that water, according to officials, due to resource sharing with the state.

Many residents expressed concern that the new watering schedule could affect their lawns, and they could subsequently be punished by their HOAs.

However, the state passed a law that prohibits homeowner associations from punishing a resident for scaling back on landscaping under an executive order signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in April.

Santa Clarita Valley ratepayers can report suspected violations, i.e. watering on days where it’s not allowed, using a hose or sprayer without a shut-off valve, etc., to the applicable water retailer. They can also use a water agency’s Facebook page, the retailer’s website or email, but local retailers do not have any new reporting methods developed.

There’s also a website ratepayers can visit if they’re interested in more information about local programs, Marks said.

Water officials are doing their best, Marks said, to make sure Santa Clarita Valley residents and agencies aren’t “watering the concrete where nothing grows.”

The following is a News Release issued by the SCV Water Committee on August 12, 2014

SCV Water Committee Approves Action Plan to Promote Valleywide Conservation

New Watering Limits and Restrictions Designed to Comply with State Mandate In Effect

Santa Clarita Valley Water Committee members are taking steps to implement mandatory restrictions on outdoor water use for local customers — including a system of odd-even irrigation days — to comply with state mandates as the impacts of the multi-year statewide drought deepen.  To facilitate compliance, the Committee voted Tuesday to approve an Action Plan for individual water suppliers to adopt and promote greater conservation.

“This drought is serious, and we’re all in this together,” said Steve Cole, SCV Water Committee Chair and General Manager of the Newhall County Water District. “We firmly believe residents and businesses are willing to do their part. Our job is to make sure all Valley water users have the tools and information to act. That’s the crux of this Action Plan.”

Cole added that the plan is rooted in education and facilitation, but that fines – starting at $50 per day per violation enforced by local water retailers – are a possibility for repeat offenders. However, the objective, Cole said, is to conserve water, not fine customers. Multiple violations could result in penalties of up to $500 per account per day.

“The bottom line is that we’re here for our residents and businesses,” said Cole. “We want to facilitate conservation and are continuing to proactively engage our customers to achieve this shared objective.”

Local water leaders said the Action Plan is intended to help the SCV continue to do its part to address the broader drought crisis.

“Many SCV water customers have done a pretty good job of conserving,” said Dan Masnada, General Manager of the Castaic Lake Water Agency, the Valley’s wholesaler of water from the State Water Project, “and we remain proud of how well our diversified water supply portfolio and the sharing of groundwater supplies among water retailers has insulated the Valley against the impacts of drought thus far. However, this problem is much bigger than our community, and we have to do our part to conserve water and help California emerge from this crisis.”

State Regulations Are in Effect

Unlike the voluntary Action Plan approved by the Committee in February, this Action Plan implements mandatory, state-mandated restrictions on certain types of outdoor water use that are already in effect. In the upcoming days, the SCV’s water retailers will be adopting rules and procedures to manage and promote these measures. The Action Plan recommends a process where two warnings are issued before fines are levied.  Each of the first two steps will focus on information and education.  Only if these efforts fail would state-mandated fines be imposed.

“This drought is serious, and we’re all in this together,” said Steve Cole, SCV Water Committee Chair and General Manager of the Newhall County Water District. “We firmly believe residents and businesses are willing to do their part. Our job is to make sure all Valley water users have the tools and information to act. That’s the crux of this Action Plan.”

The principal elements of the new local water restrictions are:

• No outdoor use of potable water on landscapes in such a manner that it causes runoff to non-landscaped areas.

• No washing of vehicles unless the hose is fitted with a shut-off nozzle or device.

• No hosing down of driveways and sidewalks.

• No use of potable water in fountains or decorative water features unless it’s part of a recirculating system.

And, most notably, a new system of odd-even landscape watering days will be in effect. From April through October, odd-numbered addresses can water on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while even-numbered addresses get Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. During the colder months of November through March, odd addresses can water on Mondays and Thursdays, while even addresses can water on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Unlike the voluntary water conservation measures triggered by the SCV Water Committee’s water supply alert issued in February, these new restrictions are mandatory and enforceable.

“That’s a pretty big mental adjustment,” said Keith Abercrombie, General Manager of Valencia Water Co. “We think local residents do a pretty good job of monitoring their water use and generally refraining from wasteful actions, but with these new state mandates, people are required, not requested, to alter their landscape watering schedules and other activities.”

“It may seem like a pretty big inconvenience at first glance, but honestly most people overwater their landscapes, and a lot of the restrictions like refraining from hosing down a sidewalk are simple things we’ve already been asking people to do to avoid wasting an ever-increasingly valuable resource,” said Dirk Marks, CLWA’s Water Resource Manager.

The emergency regulations are in response to the July 15 decision by the State Water Resources Control Board to enact an emergency regulation for statewide urban water conservation. The emergency regulation remains in effect for 270 days and may be extended if drought conditions continue.

“Although the Valley’s water suppliers have done a great job in meeting local water demands, this drought is one of the worst we’ve experienced in California,” said Mauricio Guardado, Retail Manager of the Santa Clarita Water Division.

“We’re in this together with everyone throughout the state and, although we are hoping this coming winter will bring some relief, the Valley’s water suppliers have to plan for the worst. In the meantime, by proactively and vigorously complying with these water conservation mandates, Valley customers can help the local water suppliers stretch our water supplies, help themselves save money and help California weather this severe drought.”

A full copy of the action plan and water agencies’ plans to implement the State-mandated regulations, along with water-saving tips, can be found online at:

• Castaic Lake Water Agency: www.clwa.org

• Newhall County Water District: www.ncwd.org

• Santa Clarita Water Division: www.santaclaritawater.com

• Valencia Water Company: www.valenciawater.com

About the SCV Water Committee:
The Santa Clarita Valley Water Committee, formerly known as the SCV Drought Committee, was formed in 2008 to bring multiple agencies together to jointly respond to drought conditions in the Santa Clarita Valley. The committee meets regularly to monitor water supply conditions and prepare actions that may need to be taken in the event of drought. Its members include Castaic Lake Water Agency, the City of Santa Clarita, Los Angeles County and the four local water purveyors: Los Angeles County Waterworks District No. 36, Newhall County Water District, Santa Clarita Water Division and Valencia Water Company.