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Water providers praying for rain
Suppliers for the area hope for a wet winter as the state announces likely major cutbacks.
By Jason Wells
GLENDALE — Local water agencies are taking a wait- and-see approach to an announcement Thursday that state water deliveries could be slashed 85% next year if dry conditions persist.
The announcement from the California Department of Water Resources, while not unexpected, underscored the need for a wet winter and a solution to environmental issues that have tied up water deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, officials said.
Local water agencies also seized on the announcement to renew calls for Southland residents to conserve water, even through the winter months.
“While this low initial state water project announcement was anticipated, it still sends a solemn message up and down California — we all must immediately reduce water use to stretch available supplies,” said Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the wholesale supplier to local agencies such as Glendale and Burbank.
The plan released Thursday to fulfill only 15% of orders statewide is still preliminary. Every year, the figures are adjusted on a monthly basis as new rainfall and snow depths are measured over the winter.
For example, the initial allocation plan in 1993 was put at 10% of total water shipment requests — 5% less than what was announced Thursday — but that was eventually increased to fulfill all statewide orders as the winter wore on, according to the Department of Water Resources.
The final allocation plan is usually announced in April, giving local agencies time to prepare for drastic cuts.
Glendale Water & Power is revising the city’s water conservation ordinance, which includes mandatory rationing controls and penalties, to be more readable. The new ordinance should be ready for City Council review and adoption “so that it can be in place if the winter turns out to be drier and rationing is necessary,” Assistant General Manager Peter Kavounas said.
The long-term weather outlook isn’t promising to water authorities.
California’s weather cycle is stuck in a “neutral phase,” meaning the winter could go either way, said Eric Boldt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Last year, total rainfall for downtown Los Angeles was at about 12 inches, or about 85% of normal, Boldt said.
Glendale received just .001 inches of rain from the storm that blew in early Friday morning, said Bob Gregg, an observer for the Los Angeles County Flood Control District.
Scattered showers were forecast through the weekend, with the greatest chance of rain on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
Like the current storm system moving through the Southland, Boldt said, the storm cycle this winter could be spotty.
Dire warnings from the state water project are nothing new for local water agencies, but recent court decisions limiting water draws from the Sacramento River delta to protect endangered fish there have constricted shipments. Combined with reservoir levels that are below average at nearly all sites throughout the state, the cushion is fast disappearing, water officials said.
“This is not a short-term problem that will be washed away with a few good storms,” Kightlinger said.
Overall, water storage is about 70% of normal for this time of year, according to the Metropolitan Water District.
Until the long-term issues are addressed, the state will likely face similar shortages in the years to come, said Bill Mace, assistant general manager for Burbank Water and Power.
With no short-term fix in sight, Mace and other water officials are continuing to push voluntary conservation messages.
“It’s a long-term process to really get people to change their behavior,” he said.
Burbank imports between 50% and 60% of its water from Metropolitan, while Glendale imports close to 70%, so any significant cut to Metropolitan would ultimately affect the two cities.
The Crescenta Valley Water District imports about 45% of its water from Metropolitan through the Foothill Municipal Water District.
“Conservation has to be a way of life for people now,” said Nina Jazmadarian, general manager of the Foothill water district.
The announcement from the California Department of Water Resources, while not unexpected, underscored the need for a wet winter and a solution to environmental issues that have tied up water deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, officials said.
Local water agencies also seized on the announcement to renew calls for Southland residents to conserve water, even through the winter months.
“While this low initial state water project announcement was anticipated, it still sends a solemn message up and down California — we all must immediately reduce water use to stretch available supplies,” said Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the wholesale supplier to local agencies such as Glendale and Burbank.
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For example, the initial allocation plan in 1993 was put at 10% of total water shipment requests — 5% less than what was announced Thursday — but that was eventually increased to fulfill all statewide orders as the winter wore on, according to the Department of Water Resources.
The final allocation plan is usually announced in April, giving local agencies time to prepare for drastic cuts.
Glendale Water & Power is revising the city’s water conservation ordinance, which includes mandatory rationing controls and penalties, to be more readable. The new ordinance should be ready for City Council review and adoption “so that it can be in place if the winter turns out to be drier and rationing is necessary,” Assistant General Manager Peter Kavounas said.
The long-term weather outlook isn’t promising to water authorities.
California’s weather cycle is stuck in a “neutral phase,” meaning the winter could go either way, said Eric Boldt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Last year, total rainfall for downtown Los Angeles was at about 12 inches, or about 85% of normal, Boldt said.
Glendale received just .001 inches of rain from the storm that blew in early Friday morning, said Bob Gregg, an observer for the Los Angeles County Flood Control District.
Scattered showers were forecast through the weekend, with the greatest chance of rain on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
Like the current storm system moving through the Southland, Boldt said, the storm cycle this winter could be spotty.
Dire warnings from the state water project are nothing new for local water agencies, but recent court decisions limiting water draws from the Sacramento River delta to protect endangered fish there have constricted shipments. Combined with reservoir levels that are below average at nearly all sites throughout the state, the cushion is fast disappearing, water officials said.
“This is not a short-term problem that will be washed away with a few good storms,” Kightlinger said.
Overall, water storage is about 70% of normal for this time of year, according to the Metropolitan Water District.
Until the long-term issues are addressed, the state will likely face similar shortages in the years to come, said Bill Mace, assistant general manager for Burbank Water and Power.
With no short-term fix in sight, Mace and other water officials are continuing to push voluntary conservation messages.
“It’s a long-term process to really get people to change their behavior,” he said.
Burbank imports between 50% and 60% of its water from Metropolitan, while Glendale imports close to 70%, so any significant cut to Metropolitan would ultimately affect the two cities.
The Crescenta Valley Water District imports about 45% of its water from Metropolitan through the Foothill Municipal Water District.
“Conservation has to be a way of life for people now,” said Nina Jazmadarian, general manager of the Foothill water district.
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