City Moves Closer to Authorizing Water Conservation Measures To Combat Drought

The Pasadena City Council’s Municipal Services Committee has unanimously approved the proposal to implement measures to reduce water consumption as California contends with drought.

During its meeting on Tuesday, all four members of the committee namely Vice Mayor Andy Wilson and council members Tyron Hampton, Felicia Williams and Jessica Rivas voted to approve the motion to implement the Level 2 Water Supply Shortage Plan under the Pasadena Municipal Code and establish a voluntary water reduction target of 15 percent from current consumption levels.

The move comes a month after Governor Gavin Newsom expanded the drought emergency to 50 countries across California and asked Californians to reduce residential water usage by 15 percent.

Ursula Schmidt, Water Conservation Programs Manager told the committee the move is a prudent step for Pasadena to respond to the current situation and future water shortage.

According to Schmidt, during the period of the implementation of the water conservation plan, the time allowed to repair leaks is reduced to 48 hours from 72 hours. Exceptions on restricted water use will be provided for irrigating trees, shrubs, new water efficient landscape and large irrigation areas.

Schmidt said the Level 2 Water Supply Shortage plan restricts outdoor watering to two days per week from April to October and one day per week from November to March.

According to her, from April to October, odd-numbered street addresses can do outdoor watering on Tuesdays and Fridays while even-numbered street addresses can water their lawns on Mondays and Thursdays.

For November until March, odd-numbered street addresses can irrigate their lawns every Tuesday while even-numbered street addresses, every Monday.

If approved, this is the first time that the alternating schedule for odd and even addresses will be implemented, according to Schmidt.

During the meeting, Hampton remarked that the odd and even address scheme will be confusing for residents and law enforcement agents.

“If that is the way it’s going to happen, then it should be rolled out not just to residents but all of the gardeners, every landscaping company that we have in Pasadena because this is going to be a brand new education,” Hampton said.

Agreeing with Hampton, Schmidt said there is a need for a robust outreach to inform the community about the new scheme to avoid confusion.

Meanwhile, Schmidt also told the committee  that during the period of the implementation of the water conservation measure, rate adjustments may be necessary to offset the reduced revenues from lower retail water sales volume.

She said once the City Council approves the measure, the staff will monitor its impact on water revenues and make recommendations for rate adjustments if necessary.

Gurcharan Bawa, General Manager of the Water and Power Department said the rate could increase by 5 percent to compensate for the reduction in revenues.

The Level 2 Water Shortage Plan will be effective immediately upon approval by the City Council and will remain in effect until the City Council determines that a water supply shortage no longer exists, according to the staff report.