Reserves nearly tapped out

The Laguna Beach County Water District is urging water customers to immediately reduce their water usage by another 10%, following Gov. Schwarzenegger’s declaration of a statewide drought in June, said Christopher Regan, district spokesman.

Regan said the call to save more water also comes on the heels of the Metropolitan Water District’s issuance of a “water supply alert,” signaling that water reserves in Southern California are being depleted, and that, if water usage is not reduced, the region is likely to see shortages and rationing in the near future.

“We are not running out of water yet, but because the snowpack is low, we are working through our reserves,” Regan said.

“We’d like to see people saving 10% to 20% and want to see people changing their fixtures to reduce outdoor watering.” Sixty percent of the water used in Laguna Beach is used for landscaping, which Regan says is excessive.

“People are over-watering,” he said. “They should cut back and only water between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. and then watch to see what happens to their plants, and only then increase watering.”

Laguna Beach relies on imported water for everything, Regan noted.

In February, local water users were asked to reduce usage by 10% through voluntary means, and Regan said that initial water saving has lapsed.

The last time a statewide drought was declared was in 1991, when rainfall was extremely scarce. This time, the drought is due not just to lack of precipitation, but to curtailing of water from Northern California by 30% in order to save an endangered fish, Regan said.

“We are seeing it from all sides this time,” he said.

He warned that if water reserves are depleted over the summer, mandatory rationing — and higher prices for those who use excessive water — is likely next year.

For more information, call the district’s hotline at (949) 342-1437 or visit www.LagunaBeachWater.com.