Water companies agree

Water rationing, higher rates and other restrictive measures are being considered by Triunfo Sanitation District to curb water use by customers in Oak Park and a portion of Thousand Oaks.

California American Water, a separate supplier for T.O. only, announced it will encourage conservation by giving customers a new rate structure.

The two-year drought in California has forced local water districts to implement voluntary water conservation plans, and if residents don't comply, mandatory sanctions are likely to follow.

Andy Hovey of the Oak Park Water Service, which is owned by Triunfo, said the drought, along with sanctions from a federal judge limiting the supply of water being pumped from Northern California, prompted the Metropolitan Water District to declare a "water supply alert." Cities and public agencies were urged to "achieve extraordinary conservation" through local ordinances and public outreach programs.

During an Oct. 15 Triunfo board meeting, four mandatory conservation programs were considered. The agency expects to adopt a plan by April 2009.

One is an across-the-board percentage reduction that would be required of all homes and businesses.

Another is a per connection allotment program that would be applied to residential customers only. The allotment would be based on such factors as the square footage of a home and the number of bedrooms.

A per capita water allotment plan would also apply to residential users only and would provide a fixed amount of water per person, Hovey said.

Also discussed was a hybrid plan that would allow limited outside irrigation and would allow for different water allotments for single-family and multifamily homes.

Nick Fotheringham, a Thousand Oaks resident since 1985 and a California American Water customer, remembers being penalized during a drought in the early 1990s.

"Under the mandatory measures, each household was given an allotment, the size of which was proportional to water usage during the previous years," Fotheringham said. "Voluntary conservers received lower allotments than those who wasted water. My neighbor, who ignored appeals for voluntary conservation, received an allotment 10 times the size of mine."

Fotheringham said he never appealed his water allotment because he didn't know he could do so.

"I didn't fight it. I lived with it," Fotheringham said. "What I would like to see (water agencies) do now is implement a system that is fair."

Fotheringham is worried that users will be "punished" even if they voluntarily conserve water.

Board members from Triunfo and Las Virgenes Municipal Water District addressed the issue of equity and how to establish fair allotments for consumers who have conscientiously saved water during voluntary conservation periods. An appeals process for the public is also being considered.

Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks said she'd like to offer residents a variety of grant programs to install "smart" irrigation systems and low-flow appliances, as well as the opportunity to install drought-resistant landscaping at a reduced cost.

Triunfo Chair Janna Orkney said she'd like Oak Park to use recycled water for public landscaping. The water currently used for parks and other public areas is the more expensive potable variety.

A public meeting on water conservation has been tentatively set for Mon., Jan. 12 at the Rancho Simi Parks and Recreation Community Center in Oak Park.

For more information on the Triunfo conservation plan, visit www.triunfosanitationdistrict.com.

California American Water will hold hearings at 6 p.m. on Nov. 11 and Nov. 12 at the Palm Gardens Hotel in Thousand Oaks to discuss new rates and conservation programs. Visit www.californiaamwater.com.