The “Benson House” in Pasadena (Photo – Staff)
Special to ColoradoBoulevard.net:
On August 16, 2021, Pasadena City Council approved moving to a Level 2 Water Supply Shortage Plan, which restricts outdoor watering to two days per week during summer months, and one day per week during winter months.
By News Desk
Pasadena was the first city in the region to move to a proactive watering schedule. To date, the City’s early steps to address the drought resulted in a 9 percent water reduction in Pasadena when compared with 2020 water usage. However, Pasadena Water and Power (“PWP”) urges customers to continue their water conservation efforts to help Pasadena reach the voluntary 15 percent water conservation goal.
The first three months of 2022 have seen record dry weather, and pushed nearly 94% of California into severe drought conditions. California is facing stressed ecosystems, diminished reservoir storage, impacted farming operations and threats to our urban water supplies.
Drought persisting
With the drought persisting and conditions worsening, it is imperative for Pasadena residents and businesses to take the following steps:
- Follow the Summer Outdoor Watering Schedule.
It began April 1, and will continue through October.
Outdoor watering must take place before 9:oo am or after 6:00 pm, as follows:
– Even-numbered addresses water on Mondays and Thursdays
– Odd-numbered addresses water on Tuesdays and Fridays
- Replace turf with drought-tolerant and California native plants.
They use less water and are more resilient to heat and drought.
- Optimize irrigation systems by retrofitting to a drip irrigation system.
- Repair all leaks and adjust sprinkler spray to avoid water waste.
- Check the soil moisture around plants.
Dig down a few inches to see if the soil is still holding moisture. - Update all water fixtures and appliances to high efficiency models.
- Ensure compliance with the Level 2 Water Supply Shortage Plan.
It is in the Pasadena Municipal Code (PMC) 13.10.
More information about the plan and PMC can be found at PWPweb.com/Schedule.
Kellee O’Rourke, PWP Customer Relations Program Manager, informed ColoradoBoulevard that a recent announcement from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (“MWD”) primarily impacts the “dependent” areas (those agencies that rely solely on State Project water deliveries) and establishes a health and safety allocation for those agencies.
The City of Pasadena is not in a “dependent” MWD service area. PWP as a MWD member agency has a 0% State Water Project allocation due to the drought. However, Pasadena continues to receive imported water from the Colorado River system and also has the ability to pump groundwater from the Raymond Basin. According to MWD, affected agencies include: Calleguas Municipal Water District, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Three Valleys Municipal Water District, and Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District.
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And yet increasedwater-using population is a desired requirement.