Commentary: New Pasadena downtown development soaks up water from others is an urban myth

From the Pasadena Star News, this commentary by Pasadena Sub-Rosa blogger Wayne Lusvardi:

At the Pasadena City Council public hearing on increased water rates held on June 8, Mayor Bill Bogaard and Councilman Steve Madison questioned if the city should immediately enact a moratorium or impose water rate mitigation fees on all new real estate development to avoid or offset new imported water rate penalties imposed by the MWD. New Councilman and former Planning Department Director Terry Tornek believed it was hypocritical for Paul Little, President of the Chamber of Commerce, to advocate new office development and at the same time oppose the City’s proposed water rate increases.

Outraged residents asked why they should be coerced to conserve water and pay higher water rates purportedly so there is sufficient water supply for new development.

But the above public perceptions do not reflect reality. All of the above sentiments seem based on an urban myth that new development is soaking up our limited water supply. A careful look at Pasadena water use trends over the last ten years indicates that annual water use has been nearly flat in absolute terms …

Wayne provides data to show that water consumption over the last ten years has remained essentially flat:

We forget that the prior uses of newer developed properties also probably used roughly equivalent amounts of water (e.g., Ambassador College). The current Water Department ten percent budget deficit is more likely a reflection of new development not yet generating water revenues sufficient to supplant the old development revenues due to the downturn in the real estate market.

Contrary to public perception, Pasadena needs to sell and lease-up all the unsold and vacant new housing units and office space in town as fast as possible to support the rate base of the Water Department which currently is described as financially “broke.” Enacting building moratoriums and water rate mitigation fees would only end up further eroding the water rate base and dry up our local economy. What would trigger MWD’s new imported water rate penalty prices is less availability of local groundwater not necessarily new real estate development.

Read more of Wayne’s commentary from Pasadena News Now by clicking here.

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