Beaumount Misses By Double Digits, Banning Exceeds Water-Conservation Target

The majority of water agencies in Riverside County did not meet state-mandated water conservation goals in August, but most of those that fell short only missed by a few percentage points, according to figures released.

Of more than 20 agencies reporting, just four surpassed conservation goals in August, according to the California Water Resources Control Board.

The agency published data indicating that, unlike two months earlier, only three water districts missed state-imposed compliance standards by double digits. Regulators base savings targets on August 2013 consumption levels in each district. Reduction requirements can be anywhere from 4 to 36 percent, depending on the conservation formula applied by the board.

The city of Blythe missed the mark by the widest margin, recording just a 15 percent drop in consumption in August compared to two years ago. The municipality is in the 32 percent compliance category, but slashed usage by less than half that amount.

The other two entities that failed to meet their state-mandated cuts by 10 percent or more were the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District and the city of Norco. In June, nine districts countywide were in that category.

When the first conservation status report was issued, the Rancho California Water District in Temecula had the largest compliance gap locally, missing its target by 14 percent. It has since narrowed that margin to 8.3 percent, figures show.

Most agencies were between 2 and 8 percent of their conservation targets. The city of Riverside was 2.4 percent short of achieving the 28 percent cut mandated by the state -- an improvement over its 6 percent miss in June.

Earlier this year, the city sued to be removed from the state’s compliance list, arguing that the conservation standard was derived arbitrarily and shouldn’t apply when a municipality has its own groundwater sources and doesn’t depend on imports.

State officials countered that local water storage is not a license to bypass conservation goals. The lawsuit is still unresolved.

The Lake Hemet Municipal Water District exceeded its conservation target by the widest margin in August -- 11 percent.

The cities of Banning, Perris and San Jacinto also beat their targets.

Not all agencies were counted in the state’s latest tally. Water Resources Control Board spokesman George Kostyrko told City News Service that the Idyllwild Water District, the Salton Community Services Water District and the San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency serve too few customers -- less than 3,000 each -- and hence were allowed to be excluded from monthly consumption reports. However, they will be required to declare annual water usage at the end of the year.

According to the water board, multiple water districts within Riverside County issued warnings to suspected water wasters between April and August. However, only a few resorted to fining customers, including the cities of Coachella and Hemet, as well as the Eastern Municipal Water District and the Rancho California Water District.

The EMWD was the most active, issuing 16 tickets. The agency, which serves parts of Hemet, Menifee, Moreno Valley, San Jacinto, the Temecula Valley and Winchester, was among the first to challenge the state’s conservation mandate. Officials criticized the water board’s one-size-fits-all approach, saying it failed to consider the steps that agencies had previously taken to slash consumption.

The EMWD is in the 28 percent reduction tier. It attained a 20.1 percent drop in overall water usage in August.

According to regulators, urban water agencies collectively realized a 27 percent cut in water use in August, two times more than the amount saved a year ago. Adding together water savings from June, July and August, the cumulative statewide conservation rate was 28.7 percent -- or 611,566 acre-feet of water saved.

With the drought in its fourth year, Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order in April mandating a 25 percent cut in water use statewide by February 2016, which would translate to 1.2 million acre-feet of savings.

The water board adopted ordinances specifying how local districts should ensure reduced water use, including mandatory cutbacks in outdoor residential watering.

--City News Service, photo via Shutterstock