Recent Rainfall Episodes Help Pasadena Ease Off Water Restrictions

Pasadena’s City Council has approved recommendations from Pasadena Water and Power to ease up on the water supply restrictions in the City, and go from a Level 2 Water Supply Shortage Plan to a Level 1 starting on April 1.

At the same time, the City Council also approved PWP’s recommendation to adopt a voluntary 20 percent water conservation target for the City to further encourage water savings among its customers.

Speaking for PWP, Amanda Gadbow, Public Information Coordinator, said the City Council action on their recommendations was just timely.

“It’s just the most appropriate for the current condition,” Gadbow said. “We think that it will provide a good amount of conservation because it still restricts watering in the winter time to one day a week, about the same as Level 2. It just eases up the restrictions a little bit just due to our water supply condition.”

Gadbow added the action also keeps Pasadena aligned with all other surrounding cities, most of which eased water supply restrictions in July last year.

Under a Level 1 Water Supply Shortage Plan, PWP customers are allowed to water their yards three days a week during the summer months from April 1 through October 30. Watering days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Previously, under Level 2, watering is allowed only two days per week.

In the winter months, Level 1 allows for one day watering per week between November 1 and March 31.

Customers can now fill their ornamental lakes or ponds under Level 1, and they are allowed 72 hours within which to repair leaks, breaks or malfunctions in their water distribution system from the time PWP is notified. Level 2 requires repairs within 48 hours.

On the adopted 20 percent water savings target, Gadbow said the target will be compared to the 2013 water demand in Pasadena.

“This will keep us near current levels and would help to further ensure we are meeting both short and long-term water supply reliability,” Gadbow said. “Due to the new state ‘Reliability Stress Test’ formula, the minimum conservation target required for Pasadena has been reduced to zero, but we’d like to voluntarily adopt the target for reliability purposes.”