Water restrictions tighten
The Mammoth Community Water District (MCWD) Board voted on April 1 to increase its Water Restriction Level from II to III. Level III Restrictions will go into effect on April 10.
This increase in restrictions from 20 to 30 percent came at the end of the same day Governor Jerry Brown announced historic, statewide water restrictions of 25 percent. The executive action also calls for 50 million square feet of lawns throughout the state to be replaced with drought tolerant landscaping; campuses, golf courses and other large landscapes to significantly cut water use; and new homes and developments to only use drip irrigation and micro sprays, and to not water “ornamental” grass on public street medians.
The Statewide 25 percent decrease in water use will save roughly 1.5 million acre-feet of water over nine months, compared to water use in 2013 the Governor said. That’s almost enough to fill Lake Oroville, California’s second largest reservoir.
In Mammoth, a 30 percent decrease in water use could save 150 million gallons in 9 months, compared to usage in 2013.
MCWD GIS Specialist Betty Hylton said the biggest change from Level II to Level III Restriction will be that residents are now limited to only two days of irrigation. Even numbered addresses may water Wednesday and Saturday, and odd addresses on Thursday and Sunday, between 10 p.m. and 9 a.m.
Hylton said MCWD is allowing all customers to hand water their landscapes with a hose on all four of those watering days between the house of 5 p.m. and 9 a.m.
Other changes: cars can only be washed at commercial car washing facilities, and hard surfaces cannot be washed down. Leaks must be repaired within 48 hours after the Water District notifies a customer.
“There will be no variances granted for new lawns or rehabilitating turf,” Hylton said.
She described the increase in Water Restriction Level as the result of a recent snowpack survey at Mammoth Pass that found only one inch of water, or about 2 percent of average.
“It’s the lowest year on record,” Hylton said.
Moreover, MCWD recently experienced mechanical failure at two of its nine groundwater wells, and is now working to replace parts to get those wells back online.
“We want to make sure that we can meet our peak demand this summer,” Hylton said. The next step after Level III, a Level IV restriction, would prohibit irrigation entirely.
“We’re completely reliant on groundwater at this point,” Hylton said, although she added that the Water District has some emergency supply in Lake Mary. “Our plan is to monitor the water levels in our groundwater wells” in case additional Restrictions are necessary, she said.
As for how the Governor’s executive action will further affect Mammoth’s water use, Hylton said MCWD is waiting to receive clarification from the State Water Resource Control Board on several points.
As Governor Brown put it on April 1, “People should realize we’re in a new era. The idea of your nice little green grass getting lots of water every day, that’s going to be a thing of the past. We’re not going to change everything overnight but we are in a transition period. People have to realize that in many parts of California, they are living in a desert.”
