Long Beach area water agencies weigh water regulation mandates, modifications

After a wet winter and a decision by Sacramento lawmakers to cede control of some water regulation to local agencies, Long Beach and other regional water suppliers are mulling whether to ease water use restrictions.

The State Water Resources Control Board aounced last week that percentage-based water reduction mandates put in place during the drought will be replaced by a so-called “stress test” approach. It mandates local water agencies to maintain at least a three-year supply of water. The change is slated to begin June 1 and last through January 2017.

Long Beach

The Long Beach Water Commission will discuss how to proceed with water use restrictions at a 9 a.m. meeting Thursday, at the Water Department’s Administration Building 1800 East Wardlow Road.

“Long Beach residents and businesses have really stepped up,” said Chris Gaer, general manager of the city’s Water Department. “We have a stage two alert, which limits [watering] to two days a week. We want to make sure people understand that the drought is not over.”

Last month, Long Beach hit a 16 percent conservation goal, Gaer said.

“We commend the State Water Resources Control Board on taking this very necessary step to continue the conservation regulations,” said Frank Martinez, President of the Board of Water Commissioners, in a statement. “As Goveor Brown notes, the drought still persists and we need to make conservation a permanent way of life.”

Finding a balance

If there are more dry years, water agencies will have to conserve an equal amount of water to the shortage under the new rules, according to the State Water Board. If, for example, projections show a 10 percent shortage, the mandatory conservation standard would be 10 percent.

“Drought conditions are far from over, but have improved enough that we can step back from our unprecedented top-down target setting,” said State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus, in a statement. “We’ve moved to a ‘show us the water’ approach, that allows local agencies to demonstrate that they are prepared for three more lousy water years.”

In the meantime, the state will be watching and prepared to come back with the 25 percent conservation mandate early next year if necessary, Marcus said.

In Long Beach – at least for now – residents are still forbidden from hosing down sidewalks and driveways, letting water run into gutters by over-watering landscaping and other restrictions.

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Lakewood

The Lakewood City Council adopted a resolution Tuesday lifting some restrictions on watering.

City of Lakewood water customers will now be able to water any day of the week and for any length of time as long as there’s no significant run-off from the property to the street or other hardscape, according to Bill Grady, a city spokesman. Some restrictions will stay in place, including a ban on hosing down driveways, sidewalks and hardscape; and hand washing a car, except with a bucket or hose with a shut-off nozzle.

State rules also continue to prohibit watering within 48 hours of rain and customers are encouraged to take conservation measures like using high-efficiency rotor sprinklers, drip irrigation and hoses with shut-off nozzles.

“I want to thank Lakewood’s water customers for being such good conservers the past couple of years,” said Mayor Ron Piazza, in a statement. “We surpassed the goals the state set for us, and it’s now put us in a position where we can relax a bit and help our landscaping and trees recover. But it’s not an invitation to be wasteful. We don’t want to use more water than necessary, and we should all look for ways to continue to be water-wise and water-efficient.”

Details on the new water conservation rules are available at www.lakewoodcity.org/water or customers can call 562-866-9771 ext. 2140.

The City of Lakewood serves as the water utility for the portion of the city west of the San Gabriel River. The Golden State Water Company serves the city east of the San Gabriel River. The new rules only apply to city of Lakewood customers.

For Golden State’s current and future rules, go to www.gswater.com or call 800-999-4033.

Cerritos

City officials plan to study how to implement new water use guidelines and the possibility of easing some of the current restrictions, said Laurie Kajiwara, a Cerritos spokeswoman, in an email. A presentation to the City Council is expected sometime in July, but until then, existing restrictions stay in place.

To view the current rules, visit the city’s website.