Long Beach hits 13th consecutive record low month for water use in May

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 2, 2009 at 3:53 pm

From the Long Beach Water Department, this press release:

The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners today has announced that the city of Long Beach has set a 10-year record low for water consumption in May, marking the 13th consecutive month the city has achieved a new record low. For the fiscal year, which began October 1, 2008, Long Beach water use is 16 percent below the 10-year average water use. Early last month, the Board released new information on per capita water use for the city of Long Beach, showing a reduction to 105 gallons per person, per day, which is the lowest it’s been since 1945. According to a recent article in the Sacramento Bee, the average per capita potable water use in the United States is 147; California is 164, Los Angeles is 138; San Diego is 154; Sacramento is 278.

“Much like our State’s fiscal crisis, we are dealing with a permanent, structural water supply deficit,” said Kevin L. Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. “While long-term solutions to this deficit are also needed, we must make some hard choices on how much water we’re spending (ie. consuming) right now. We welcome the water conservation programs being implemented in California’s two largest cities this week, and wish them much success.”

On April 14th, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) announced that it will cut water deliveries to southern California by 10 percent beginning July 1st, due to three years of below average rainfall, supply constrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the real possibility that current and future regulatory restrictions in the Delta will prevent the state from adequately replenishing water supply reserves, even when wetter conditions return. Even though nearly half of Long Beach’s supply is imported water purchased from the MWD, the Long Beach Water Department foresees no impact on the city of Long Beach by these cuts in deliveries due to the city’s record-breaking conservation efforts.

On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board of Water Commissioners issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. The Board’s Declaration and implementation of permanent outdoor watering prohibitions in 2007 was specifically necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California; dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California, along with climate realities.

Long Beach Water is an urban, Southern California retail water supply agency, and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

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Water Replenishment District increases rates almost 20%; Increase in groundwater replenishment assessment will impact Long Beach water ratepayers this fall

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 5, 2009 at 7:41 am

From the Long Beach Water Department, this press release:

LONG BEACH, CA – The Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD), which manages the groundwater basin from which Long Beach pumps its water, has approved an 18.9 percent increase in its groundwater pumping rate, commonly known as the “replenishment assessment,” for the next fiscal year. The move will impact Long Beach, with Long Beach Water Department customers likely seeing this increase reflected in water bills beginning in October 2009.

“The increase in the pumping rate, which is a fixed cost, is something we’ve expected,” stated Kevin Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. “The WRD is among many throughout Southern California who will have to increase rates due to the escalating price of imported water.”

Half of the City’s water supply is groundwater, pumped form the Central Groundwater Basin and treated at the Long Beach Groundwater Treatment Facility. In order to maintain the basin’s long-term solvency, the Water Replenishment District oversees its replenishment, assessing a fee on those agencies who use it. Long Beach is the largest pumper of groundwater in the Central Groundwater Basin.

Last month, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern Calfiornia announced that its Board approved a 19.7 percent increase in rates charged to member agencies, like Long Beach and the WRD, for use of imported water. The new rate increase is scheduled to take effect in September, which is four months earlier than normal. Approximately half of Long Beach’s water supply is purchased from the MWD, ranking as the Long Beach Water Department’s single largest fixed cost, budget expenditure each year.

The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners will discuss revenue, rates and the budget for Fiscal Year ‘09/’10 during their regularly scheduled public meeting, Thursday, May 21, 2009, begining at 7:00pm.

Long Beach Water is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency, and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Ryan J. Alsop
Director of Government & Public Affairs
Long Beach Water
Brennan S. Thomas Administration Building

Long Beach Water Dept: Imported water deliveries cut; rates increased 19.7%; Region’s wholesale water provider reduces supplies delivered to Long Beach/SoCal, as expected; City not impacted by delivery cut due to extraordinary conservation efforts

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on April 16, 2009 at 6:17 am

From the Long Beach Water Department, this press release:

LONG BEACH, CA – Long Beach Water officials are calling th action of the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California to begin reducing imported water supply allocations to communities across the southland, an action they not only expected, but one they welcome. On Tuesday, the MWD Board of Directors voted to essentially cut water deliveries to southern California by 10 percent, due to three years of below average rainfall, supply constrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the real possibility that current and future regulatory restrictions in the Delta will prevent the state from adequately replenishing water supply reserves, even when wetter conditions return. The Long Beach Water Department foresees no impact on the city of Long Beach by these cuts in deliveries due to the mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water implemented citywide nearly two years ago.

“Up to 19 million Southern Californians this summer will feel the impact of a new water reality that has been in the making for years, if not decades,” said MWD board Chairman Timothy Brick. “Today’s action represents the critical need for each of us to modify our water use behavior to be more efficient on a permanent basis to reflect our new water reality.” The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners welcomes the action taken by the MWD; calling it essential to bolster an immediate and deliberate push in southern California for extraordinary conservation, particularly mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. “The writing has been on the wall for some time now,” states John Allen, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. “We’ve expected it, we’ve encouraged them to do it, and we’re hopeful that it encourages other southern California communities to finally do what Long Beach citizens have done for the past 19 months.”

On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board of Water Commissioners issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. “The Board took the action it did, well over a year ago now, to specifically forestall and lessen the impact of an expected water supply shortage,” state Allen. The Board’s Declaration and implementation of permanent outdoor watering prohibitions in 2007 was specifically necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California; dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California, along with climate realities.

MWD’s water supply allocation from the State Water Project, which brings water from the Bay Delta to southern California, has been reduced by 80 percent for 2009. Since 2006, MWD has drawn down nearly 60 percent of its supply reserves that are typically set aside for drought cycles and other emergencies. Because of severe, on-going environmental problems in the Bay Delta, the entire state faces problems of replenishing its reserves, even in normal to wet weather years, today and in the future. “We must be very careful on how we manage our remaining supplies,” according to Jeff Kightlinger, General Manager of the MWD.

In a separate, but equally important action, the MWD Board approved a 19.7 percent increase in rates charged to member agencies, like Long Beach, for use of imported water. The new rate increase is scheduled to take effect in September, which is four months earlier than normal. Approximately half of Long Beach’s water supply is purchased from the MWD, ranking as the Long Beach Water Department’s single largest fixed cost, budget expenditure each year.

Long Beach Water is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency, and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Ryan J. Alsop
Director of Government & Public Affairs
Long Beach Water

Long Beach hits record low water consumption in March

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on April 6, 2009 at 6:14 am

From the Long Beach Water Department:

[Friday], the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners announced that Long Beach has set a new record 10-year low for water consumption in March, using 14 percent below the city’s historical 10 year average for March. Precipitation in March was well below normal levels. For the Fiscal Year, which started October 1, Long Beach water consumption is 17 percent below the historical 10-year average. The 10-year historical average is from FY’98 to FY’07, which are the 10 years prior to Long Beach’s call for extraordinary conservation and prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. March ‘09 is the 18th record setting month for low water consumption since September 2007.

Yesterday, the California Department of Water Resources announced its fourth snow survey of the winter season, citing that Sierra Nevada snowpack water content is just 81 percent of normal for the date, statewide. “A below-average snowpack at this time of year, especially following two consecutive dry years is a cause for concern,” said DWR Director Lester Snow. “Our most critical storage reservoirs remain low, and we face severe water supply problems in many parts of our state. Californians must continue to save water at home and in their businesses.”

“Long Beach implemented extraordinary conservation measures long before people were talking about weather conditions or the drought,” according to Kevin L. Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. “Southern California faces a structural imbalance between its water supplies and its water demands, even in normal years, and every Southern Californian needs to heed the Governor’s call to reduce their water consumption by 20 percent.”

On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board of Water Commissioners issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. “The Board took the action it did, well over a year ago now, to specifically forestall and lessen the impact of an expected water supply shortage,” states John Allen, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. The Board’s Declaration and implementation of permanent outdoor watering prohibitions in 2007 was specifically necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California; dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California, along with climate realities.

“A water shortage is imminent, and Long Beach has prepared itself to deal with it,” according to Allen. “Prepare for the worst, hope is not a responsible option.”

Long Beach Conservation Effectiveness Indicators…by the numbers:

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Long Beach hits record low water consumption in January; Jan ‘09 was 19.3% below average despite third hottest January on record in LA County

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 5, 2009 at 7:57 am

From the Long Beach Water Department:

LONG BEACH, CA – Today, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners are praising the actions of Long Beach Water Department customers, who continue to shatter 10-year record lows for water consumption, during what is shaping up as the worst California water supply crisis in modern history. Long Beach water consumption for January ‘09 was 19.3 percent below the 10-year historical average. The 10-year historical average is from FY’98 to FY’07, which are the 10 years prior to Long Beach’s call for extraordinary conservation and prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. January ‘09 was 8.8 percent below January ‘08. January ‘09 was the third hottest January on record in Los Angeles County, and Long Beach received only 0.17 inches of precipitation; whereas normal precipitation in Long Beach is 2.95 inches. January ‘09 is the thirteenth record setting month for low water consumption since September 2007.

Early last month, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a water supply ALERT for the City of Long Beach and southern California, due to extremely weak precipitation and snow pack in the northern Sierra Nevada; an uneventful forecast for northern California watersheds, including new predictions of dry La Nina conditions forming in the Pacific Ocean; extremely low water supply reserve levels; and the anticipated additional curtailment of imported water deliveries from north to south due to endangered species issues. The new ALERT urges Long Beach residents to sustain the City’s record breaking reductions in water use. More importantly, Long Beach Water officials are urging area cities to engage their residents. “Our current water supply conditions should be a catalyst for southern California water supply managers to immediately increase action on extraordinary conservation measures, particularly prohibiting certain outdoor uses of water, stated John Allen, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. “Southern California water suppliers should be practicing and preparing for the worst; hope is not an adequate strategy.”

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“…The worst California drought in modern history”; New snow survey: 49% of normal in northern Sierra

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 29, 2009 at 5:15 pm

From the Long Beach Water Department, this press release:

The California Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) second snow survey of the winter season indicates snow water content is 61 percent of normal to date, statewide, and only 49 percent of normal, to date, in the northern Sierra Nevada. “The low precipitation in January and snowpack results from today’s survey indicate California is heading for a third dry year,” said DWR Director Lester Snow. “We may be at the start of the worst California drought in modern history. It’s imperative for Californians to conserve water immediately at home and in their businesses.”

Long Beach Water officials, earlier this month, issued a new water supply ALERT for the City of Long Beach and southern California, due to extremely weak precipitation and snow pack in the northern Sierra Nevada; an uneventful forecast for northern California watersheds, including new predictions of dry La Nina conditions forming in the Pacific Ocean; extremely low water supply reserve levels; and the anticipated additional curtailment of imported water deliveries from north to south due to endangered species issues. Today’s survey likely means that water deliveries for the Bay Area, Central Valley and southern California will likely be reduced even further in 2009, according to Kevin Wattier, General Manager of Long Beach Water. “State water deliveries into southern California could likely be reduced by more than 90 percent if current conditions persist; the snow season will be over in 60 days.”

Long Beach residents are being urged to sustain the City’s record breaking reductions in water use, which is 15 percent below the City’s historical 10-year average for the Fiscal Year started in October 2008. More importantly, Long Beach Water officials are calling on area cities to engage their residents. “These realities should be a catalyst for southern California water supply managers to immediately increase action on extraordinary conservation measures,” stated John Allen, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. “Southern California water suppliers should be practicing for the worst; hope is not an adequate strategy here.”

Background:

Precipitation and snow pack for the northern Sierra Nevada, the primary water supply source for the Bay Delta watershed from which southern California receives 30 percent of its imported water, is way below normal for the year. The most recent snow survey, announced today, showed that northern Sierra snowpack was only 49 percent of normal for the year.

Compounding the necessity to conserve, in early December, federal wildlife officials released ADDITIONAL restrictions on pumping from northern California. Last year, restrictions were placed on pumping water through the Bay Delta to mitigate the impact that pumping was having on the Delta Smelt, an endangered fish. A new biological opinion, released on December 15, 2008, supports continuing current pumping restrictions, which have resulted in a 20 to 30 percent reduction in water deliveries, but also adopts ADDITIONAL pumping restrictions that the agency believes will help improve Delta Smelt habitat. These additional restrictions could in some years cut imported water deliveries to the Central Valley and southern California by half, which is a worst case scenario, but entirely feasible. Scientists say that the decline of smelt populations are an indicator of the health of the entire Bay-Delta ecosystem, and representative of a much larger decline in local fisheries, including the longfin smelt, threadfin shad, and Chinook salmon. The National Marine Fisheries Service is scheduled to issue a new biological opinion in the coming weeks to protect the Chinook salmon, following last years collapse of the west coast salmon fishing season, and the long-fin smelt is being recommended for the endangered species list by the California Department of Fish and Game.

Even more, the collective storage level of Lake Shasta, Lake Oroville and San Luis Reservoir, the feeders to the State Water Project, are the lowest they’ve been since 1977. This is a primary reason for the State Department of Water Resources’ recent announcement that water deliveries from northern California to the Central Valley, and on to southern California, may be 85 percent below what is being requested for these regions this year. Today’s snow survey will likely move that percentage higher.

On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board of Water Commissioners issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. “The Board took the action it did, over a year ago now, to forestall and lessen the impact of an expected water supply shortage,” according to Board president, John Allen. The Board’s Declaration in 2007 was necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California; the dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California; and climate realities.

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency, and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Ryan J. Alsop
Director of Government & Public Affairs
Long Beach Water
Brennan S. Thomas Administration Building

Recent storms do little for water supply outlook; Despite wet weather, snowpack remains well below normal; continued conservation critical

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 18, 2008 at 2:18 pm

From the Long Beach Water Department, this press release:

Long Beach Water officials are today reminding customers to continue conserving all the water they can by taking advantage of the recent wet weather and shutting off irrigation systems until the middle of next week. While recent storms have provided local rain and snow, snowpack in the northern Sierra Nevada is currently 90 percent below normal for the year. Northern Sierra snowpack is a primary imported water source for Central Valley and southern California farms and cities. Long Beach imports half its water supply.

“We need to take advantage of the rain we’ve received over the last couple of days and use it wisely,” according to Matt Lyons, Director of Conservation and Planning for the Long Beach Water Department. “This rain is enough to allow all of us to shut our irrigation systems off for several days.” Between 50 and 70 percent of all the water used in Long Beach is used outside the home, primarily on lush, non-native landscapes. “Not having to irrigate for 4 to 6 days saves vast amounts of water,” added Lyons.

Compounding the necessity to conserve, earlier this week, federal wildlife officials released NEW restrictions on pumping from northern California, further exacerbating the water supply reliability problems for imported water users in cities like Long Beach, as well as San Joaquin Valley farms. The curbs placed on pumping water through the Bay Delta are intended to save the Delta Smelt, an endangered fish, from extinction. A new biological opinion, released on Monday by Fish and Wildlife’s office in Sacramento, supports continuing current pumping restrictions, which have resulted in a 20 to 30 percent reduction in water deliveries, but also adopts additional pumping restrictions that the agency believes will help improve Delta Smelt habitat. These additional restrictions could in some years cut imported water deliveries to the Central Valley and southern California by half, which is a worst case scenario, but entirely feasible. Again, the Bay Delta (State Water Project) provides about 30 percent of southern California’s imported water supply.

According to Kevin Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department, the extremely weak snowpack, coupled with desperately low water storage throughout the state, not to mention the endangered species issues in the Bay Delta itself, should be a catalyst for southern California water managers to immediately increase action on extraordinary conservation measures. “We need a region-wide, full-scale effort to permanently prohibit certain outdoor watering activities.”

“Mandated prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water, which were adopted in Long Beach in September of 2007, continue to be the very best, most immediate way to save vast amounts of water,” states John Allen, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. With these mandated prohibitions, over the last twelve months, Long Beach residents have consumed less water than at any time over the past 10 years. Consumption for the past 12 months is 10.1 percent below the historical 10-year average. “We understood there would be a learning curve for us all, and that exercising these new practices would help us become the very best prepared city in southern California to deal with severe shortages; we’re ready and we think it’s prudent that other communities do the same,” he added.

The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners has continued to call for increased action throughout southern California, with regard to extraordinary water conservation, and particularly prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water.

Long Beach Water is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency, and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Ryan J. Alsop
Director of Government & Public Affairs
Long Beach Water

Long Beach hits record low for water use in November; consumption in last 12 months is 10.1% below historical average

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 5, 2008 at 7:26 am

From the Long Beach Water Department, this press release:

Today, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners have announced that Long Beach water demand for November 2008 has set a new record 10-year low. Long Beach water use this November was 12.1 percent below the historical 10-year average (’98-’07) water use. November ‘08 water use was 7.9 percent below November ‘07. November’s new record low marks the 11th record setting month for low water use since September 2007. Long Beach water consumption over the last 12 months is tracking at 10.1 percent below the historical 10-year average (’98-’07).

Last month, the Board announced that the City had a set a new record 10-year low for water consumption for Fiscal Year 2008. That announcement meant that the City had consumed less water in Fiscal Year ‘08, than in any other year over the past decade. In fact, the City consumed less water in Fiscal Year ‘08 than it did during the height of the 1987-1992 drought, with mandatory rationing and a population 15 percent smaller than today. The Long Beach Water Department is in its second year of extraordinary, mandatory water conservation due to an imminent water supply shortage in southern California.

“Waste not, want not,” says John Allen, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. “Again, every gallon we don’t use is a gallon we leave in storage. This is an idea that should have been embraced months ago by every community in southern California. We have been using our storage to water our landscapes, and that storage is at historic low levels as we head into what may very well be another dry year.” The collective storage level of Lake Shasta, Lake Oroville and San Luis Reservoir, the feeders to the State Water Project, are the lowest they’ve been since 1977. This is a primary reason for the State Department of Water Resources’ recent announcement that water deliveries from northern California to the Central Valley, and on to southern California, may be 85 percent below what is being requested for these regions next year.

“We have got to move quickly as a region,” adds Kevin L. Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. Lake Oroville the primary reservoir on the State Water Project ended November at only 28 percent of capacity and was below 1 million acre-feet for only the second time in it’s 40 year history. “This, along with other very serious developments over the past 15 months demand that more deliberate action with regard to outdoor prohibitions on certain water uses need to be implemented throughout our region.”

Long Beach Water Conservation Effectiveness Indicators
• November 2008 has set a new record 10-year low
• November 2008 is 12.1% below historical 10-year average
• November 2008 is 7.9% below November 2007
• November 2008 demand was 4,600 acre-feet; November 2007 (previous record low) demand was 5,000 acre feet (An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons)
• Consumption in last 12 months is 10.1% below the historical average
• This is Long Beach’s 11th record-setting month for low water consumption since September 2007

On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board of Water Commissioners issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. “The Board took the action it did, over a year ago now, to forestall and lessen the impact of an expected water supply shortage,” according to Board president, John Allen. The Board’s Declaration was necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California; the dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California; and climate realities.

Earlier this week, the Long Beach Water Department announced nine winners of a citywide, water-efficient landscape opportunity drawing that was announced in early October. The nine winning homes, one from each City Council district will receive a professionally designed and installed water efficient front yard. 50 to 70 percent of all the water used in Long Beach is used outdoors, primarily on lush, non-native landscapes. The nine water-efficient landscapes will serve as demonstration projects for the Long Beach Water Department.

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Ryan J. Alsop
Director of Government & Public Affairs
Long Beach Water

Long Beach desalination engineers awarded for technical merit; Technical findings and research of LB alternative ocean intake system recognized by industry peers

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 19, 2008 at 3:34 pm

From the Long Beach Water Department:

Four of the Long Beach Water Department’s top engineers have been recoginzed for technical merit in presenting research findings for the Long Beach Desalination Project’s Under Ocean Floor Intake and Discharge System, displayed at the 2008 Water Quality Technology Conference and Exposition in Cincinnati, Ohio. The conference, hosted by the American Water Works Association (AWWA), keeps thousands of water quality professionals from across the globe up-to-date with the latest research, regulations, and technological advances for keeping drinking water safe. Long Beach Water General Manager, Kevin Wattier P.E., Assistant General Manager, Dr. Robert Cheng P.E., Director of Water Treatment, Tai Tseng P.E. and Research Assistant, Jason Allen P.E., authored the technical poster that received a second place award for it’s relevance and innovation in advancing water treatment and quality around the world.

The Long Beach Desalination Project is the largest seawater desalination research and development project in the country. The United States Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation is a major funding partner of the project. Among the research activities currently underway is operation of the Under Ocean Floor Intake and Discharge Demonstration System, which was constructed earlier this year to demonstrate a cost-effective, environmentally responsive alternative to the more traditional practice of open ocean intake. Research findings presented at the conference confirm operations at the Under Ocean Floor Intake and Discharge System consistent with water production goals.

For more information on the Long Beach Desalination Project, including pictures, video and other links, click here.

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Ryan J. Alsop
Director of Government & Public Affairs
Long Beach Water
Brennan S. Thomas Administration Building

Long Beach continues hitting historical 10-year lows for water use; October ‘08 another 10-year low despite above average temperatures and below average rainfall

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 12, 2008 at 2:32 pm

From the Long Beach Water Department:

Today, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners has announced that Long Beach water demand for October 2008 has set a new record 10-year low. Long Beach water use this October was 9.5 percent below the historical 10-year average (’98-’07) water use. October ‘08 water use was 9 percent below October ‘07. Early last month, the Board announced that the City had set a new record 10-year low for Fiscal Year 2008, which ended September 30th. That announcement meant that the City had consumed less water in Fiscal Year ‘08, than in any other year over the past decade. In fact, the City consumed less water in Fiscal Year ‘08 than it did during the height of the 1987-1992 drought, with mandatory rationing and a population 15 percent smaller than today. The Long Beach Water Department is in its second year of extraordinary, mandatory water conservation due to an imminent water supply shortage in southern California. October ‘08 is the 10th record setting month for low water use since the Board of Water Commissioners’ declaration of imminent water supply shortage in September 2007.

“Waste not, want not,” says John Allen, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. “Again, every gallon we don’t use is a gallon we leave in storage. This is an idea that should have been embraced months ago by every community in southern California. We have been using our storage to water our landscapes, and that storage is at historic low levels as we head into what may very well be another dry year.” The collective storage level of Lake Shasta, Lake Oroville and San Luis Reservoir, the feeders to the State Water Project, are the lowest they’ve been since 1977. This is a primary reason for the State Department of Water Resources’ recent announcement that water deliveries from northern California to the Central Valley, and on to southern California, may be 85 percent below what is being requested for these regions next year.

“We have got to move quickly as a region to take a firm stand on this,” adds Kevin L. Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. “Even if we have average rainfall this year, the reality is that we no longer have enough water to meet demand here in southern California, even in normal hydrologic years. Every city in southern California needs to implement mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water, and make those prohibitions permanent.”

Long Beach Water Conservation Effectiveness Indicators
• October 2008 is 9.5% below historical 10-year average
• October 2008 is 8.9% below October 2007
• October 2007 demand was 5,650 acre-feet; October 2008 demand was 5,400 acre feet
• Precipitation for October ‘07 was .56 inches; Precipitation for October ‘08 was .08 inches (Normal is .40 inches)
• Temperature for October ‘07 was 68.3 degrees; Temperature for October ‘08 was 70.2 degrees (Normal is 68.6)

On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board of Water Commissioners issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. “The Board took the action it did, over a year ago now, to forestall and lessen the impact of an expected water supply shortage,” according to Board president, John Allen. The Board’s Declaration was necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California; the dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California; and climate realities.

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Ryan J. Alsop
Director of Government & Public Affairs
Long Beach Water
Brennan S. Thomas Administration Building

Long Beach Water Department: State officials project 85% cut to requested state water deliveries in 2009; The initial allocation is second lowest in the history of the State Water Project

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 30, 2008 at 3:21 pm

From the Long Beach Water Department, this press release:

Today, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners are again urging area water suppliers to immediately implement mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water, following a dramatic announcement by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) that imported water deliveries to the San Francisco Bay area, the Central Valley and to southern California are initially projected to only be 15 percent of normal. The State’s announcement, which comes each year around the end of November, comes early this year to encourage local water suppliers throughout the state to prepare for what is expected to be another dry year.

The State Water Project delivers water to more than 25 million California residents and more than 750,000 acres of farmland. This year, water contractors requested 4,166,376 million acre-feet of water for the 2009 calendar year, the maximum contractual amount allowed. The actual water deliveries can increase from the initial allocation depending on the year’s hydrologic and water supply conditions. The lowest initial allocation was 10 percent of contractors’ requested amount in 1993, but the number was increased to 100 percent of the requested amount as favorable weather conditions developed. Last year however, the initial figure was 25 percent and it was only increased to 35 percent.

Jeff Kightlinger, General Manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the agency that supplies Long Beach with half its water supply, said his agency is preparing for the very real possibility of shortages and rationing throughout the region next year. “Over the past two years, Metropolitan has depleted more than a third of its water reserves to deal with drought and court-ordered water cutbacks from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. These reserves are rapidly reaching a level that demands careful management.” Kightliner also stated that his agency can’t count on relief from the situation if it rains here, in northern California or in the Colorado River watershed. “The Delta’s serious environmental problems are driving court decisions and regulatory actions that are drastically limiting the ability to move water across the estuary. This is not a short-term problem that will be washed away with a few good storms.”

Kevin Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department, goes further, stating that the State of California, and water supply leaders like the Metropolitan Water District, must do all they can to move communities throughout the State, particularly here in southern California, into mandating strict water conservation requirements, most importantly the prohibition of egregious outdoor watering activities that have been common place in neighborhoods all across southern California. “We need to collectively engineer a major lifestyle change in the way we think about and use water, so that inefficient and wasteful uses, which go on each and every day in our communities, are no longer tolerated. Postponing action is a gamble that we cannot afford to make as a region, considering the consequences that we’ll face short of an above average rain year. We are at a point where southern California simply does not have enough water to meet our demand for it going forward, even in normal hydrologic years.”

In September 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners officially declared that a water supply shortage for southern California, including Long Beach, was imminent, triggering implementation of the Commission’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. Activation of that plan put in place several strict prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water, making those particular uses illegal activities in the City of Long Beach. Long Beach water demand for Fiscal Year 2008 set a new, record 10-year low. That announcement, made earlier this month, means that less water was consumed in Long Beach this past fiscal year, than any other year over the past decade. In fact, Long Beach consumed less water this past fiscal year than the city did during the height of the 1987-1992 drought, with mandatory rationing and a population 15 percent smaller than today. September 2008 was the City’s 9th record setting month (all 10-year lows) for low water use since the Board of Water Commissioner’s water shortage declaration.

John Allen, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners, cites marked human behavior and attitude change as the reason for the city’s record setting year. “This is an entire community coming together and engaging itself in a worthy endeavor. We need other southern California communities to get going, which will be the only way any successful region wide effort is going to be sustained.”

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California, retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Long Beach ends fiscal year with record low water consumption: City achieves near 10 percent reduction in water demand for the year; urges others to strengthen efforts

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 9, 2008 at 7:27 am

From the Long Beach Water Department:

The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners has announced that Long Beach water demand for Fiscal Year 2008 has set a new record 10-year low. The announcement means that less water was consumed in Long Beach this past fiscal year, than any other year over the past decade. In fact, Long Beach consumed less water this past fiscal year than the city did during the height of the 1987-1992 drought, with mandatory rationing and a population 15 percent smaller than today. September 2008 also set a new record 10-year low, marking the city’s 9th record setting month for low water use since the Board of Water Commissioner’s declaration of an imminent water supply shortage in September 2007.

Long Beach Conservation Effectiveness Indicators

1. Water demand for FY 2008, was 9.2 percent below the 10-year average.
2. Water demand for FY 2008 was 9.4 percent below water demand for Fiscal Year 2007, and 8.5 percent below water demand for FY 2006.
3. September 2008 demand is 11.1 percent below the 10-year average for September, and a new 10-year record low.
4. Long Beach water demand in FY 2008 was 4,250 acre-feet lower than the lowest year on record over the past 10 years (an acre-foot equals 325,851 gallons of water)
6. Long Beach used 6,368 acre-feet less water in FY 2008 than the city used in FY 2007, and 4,540 acre-feet less than the city used in FY 2006.
7. Long Beach used 6,200 acre-feet less water in FY 2008 than the 10-year average (this is a year’s worth of water for a town of 40,000 people)
8. Long Beach set record 10-year lows for water consumption in 9 of the last 12 months, and near record 10-year lows in 3 of the last 12 months.

John Allen, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners, cites marked human behavior and attitude change as the reason for the city’s record setting year. “This is an entire community coming together and engaging itself in worthy endeavor. We simply must change our lifestyle so that inefficient and wasteful uses of water, particularly outdoor uses, are no longer tolerated by anyone,” he said.

According to Kevin Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department, Long Beach took the action it did more than a year ago now not because of a “drought,” but because “we recognized then the need to permanently reduced our water consumption specifically due to the permanent reductions in water supply imports to southern California.” “We no longer have enough water to meet demand here in southern California, even in normal hydrologic years. Every city in southern California needs to implement mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water, and make those prohibitions permanent.”

On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board of Water Commissioners issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. “The Board took the action it did over a year ago now to forestall and lessen the impact of an expected water supply shortage,” according to Board president, John Allen. The Board’s Declaration was necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California; the dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California; and climate conditions.

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California , retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Ryan J. Alsop
Director of Government & Public Affairs
Long Beach Water

U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook: More of the same; Long Beach Water Commission urges mandatory outdoor prohibitions for SoCal

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 10, 2008 at 3:38 pm

From the Long Beach Water Department:

LONG BEACH, CA – A report recently issued by the United States Climate Prediction Center says that Southern California’s drought will continue or intensify through at least November. 2008 will be the fourth driest year in 114 years. Meanwhile, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners are continuing to call on southern California cities to implement more aggressive, permanent, extraordinary conservation measures, particularly prohibitions on certain outdoor water uses, in light of the rapid depletion of critical in-state water supply reserves.

According to Kevin Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department, “critical northern California reservoirs that provide communities throughout southern California with much of their imported water are today at their lowest level since 1977. Collectively, Lake Oroville, Shasta and San Luis Reservoir are below 30% full.” Imported water from northern California is a significant water supply source for the City of Long Beach, and the rest of California. Nearly half of the city’s water supply is imported from outside the region. “Every gallon of water we do not use is a gallon of water left in storage to help lessen the impact of an expected, critical water supply shortage,” added Wattier.

On Thursday, September 4th, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners announced that Long Beach water demand for August 2008 set a new 10-year record low. It is the 8th record setting month for low water use since the Board of Water Commissioner’s declaration of an imminent water supply shortage in September 2007. August 2008 water demand was 18.9 percent below the 10-year average water demand; it was over 18 percent below August 2007. Long Beach water demand for fiscal year 2008 is tracking at 9 percent below the 10-year average for annual water use. Last month, the Board of Water Commissioners announced that Long Beach had set a new record low for July 2008, which was 16 percent below the lowest July on record over the past 10 years.

On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board of Water Commissioners issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. “The Board took the action it did nearly one-year ago to forestall and lessen the impact of an expected water supply shortage,” according to Townsend. The Board’s Declaration was necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California; the dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California (just 40% full at that time); and climate conditions resulting in drought.

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California, retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

See the drought, HERE

Ryan J. Alsop
Director of Government & Public Affairs
Long Beach Water

Long Beach Hits Record Low Water Use in August; 19% Below 10-Year Average; City is Nearly 10% Below 10-Year Average YTD

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 4, 2008 at 1:30 pm

From the Long Beach Water Department, this press release:

The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners have announced that Long Beach water demand for August 2008 has set a new 10-year record low. It is the 8th record setting month for low water use since the Board of Water Commissioner’s declaration of an imminent water supply shortage in September 2007. August 2008 water demand was 18.9 percent below the 10-year average water demand; it was over 18 percent below July 2007. Long Beach water demand for fiscal year 2008 is tracking at 9 percent below the 10-year average for annual water use. Last month, the Board of Water Commissioners announced that Long Beach had set a new record low for July 2008, which was 16 percent below the lowest July on record over the past 10 years.

According to Bill Townsend, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners, the state’s most critical water supply reserves, those that supply water to southern California communities, including Long Beach, are now at their lowest combined level since 1977. “Communities throughout southern California must implement mandatory restrictions on the most wasteful outdoor uses of water, and those restrictions need to be made permanent. Again, I want to thank our customers for their huge effort in using water more efficiently and urge them to continue.”

On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board of Water Commissioners issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. “The Board took the action it did nearly one-year ago to forestall and lessen the impact of an expected water supply shortage,” according to Townsend. The Board’s Declaration was necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California; the dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California; and climate conditions resulting in drought. To date, the Long Beach Water Department has issued no water use citations.

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California, retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Ryan J. Alsop
Director of Government & Public Affairs
Long Beach Water

Long Beach water savings pay off in future

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 14, 2008 at 5:42 am

From the Grunion Gazette:

Nine months of water conservation in Long Beach has paid off — sort of.

Residents shouldn’t face further restriction in water use any time soon, despite the fact that the state’s water supply appears on its way to record low levels, according to Kevin Wattier, general manager of the Long Beach Water Department. Much of the rest of Southern California likely will see more severe restrictions beginning in 2009, when supplies from northern California are expected to be further reduced.

“Lake Oroville, which is the primary reservoir for northern California water, is dropping rapidly and already is at 1977 levels,” Wattier said. “By the end of August, if projections hold and the level continues the decline, it will be at the lowest it has ever been… We’re talking about conditions worse than the great drought of 1976 and ’77.”

California has been suffering through a multi-year drought, and Southern California water supplies were further impacted last year when a judge limited the amount of water pumped from the Sacramento Delta. That action was designed to protect the endangered Delta Smelt, and cut the amount of water available to the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) from that source by almost two-thirds.

“It is getting worse,” said Ryan Alsop, public and government affairs manager for the water department. “It is headed exactly where we thought it would be a year ago.”

Last September, Long Beach instituted water restrictions which have dropped water use up to 16% below it’s 10-year average. Read more from the Grunion Gazette by clicking here.

Long Beach hits record low water use in July; 16% below 10-Year average

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 8, 2008 at 11:58 am

From the Long Beach Water Department, this press release:

Today, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners have announced that Long Beach water demand for July 2008 has set a new 10-year record low. It is the 7th record setting month for low water use since the Board of Water Commissioner’s declaration of an imminent water supply shortage in September 2007. July 2008 water demand was 16.1 percent below the 10-year average water demand; it was 13 percent below July 2007. Fiscal Year 2008 is tracking 7.7 percent below the 10-year average water use. Last month, the Board of Water Commissioners announced that Long Beach had set a new record low for June 2008, which was 5.7 percent below the lowest June on record over the past 10 years, and was 10.5 percent below the 10-year average water use.

“This is good news, coming at a very good time,” according to Bill Townsend, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. “Our state’s most critical water supply reserves, those that supply water to southern California communities, including Long Beach, will be at their lowest combined level since 1977 in a matter of weeks. Communities throughout southern California must implement mandatory restrictions on the most wasteful outdoor uses of water, and those restrictions need to be made permanent. I want to thank our customers for their huge effort and urge them to continue.”

On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board of Water Commissioners issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. “The Board took the action it did nearly one-year ago to forestall and lessen the impact of an expected water supply shortage,” according to Townsend. The Board’s Declaration was necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California, the dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California; and climate conditions resulting in drought. To date, the Long Beach Water Department has issued no water use citations.

On July 25th, the Board of Water Commissioners unanimously approved an increase in water and sewer rates for FY 2009 a combined 15.8 percent for all Long Beach Water Department customers, subject to a special public protest hearing to be held on September 18th. The increase will add an additional $5.39 per month to the typical single family household’s water bill, and an additional $1.30 per month to the typical single family household’s sewer bill. The total monthly combined increase for water and sewer service will be $6.69, or $80.28 annually.

The increase in water and sewer rates is driven by the sharp increase in the core costs of providing water and sewer service; many of those costs, like imported water purchases, are unavoidable. In addition to cost increases, the immediate and unavoidable need to reduce consumption of water due to an imminent, prolonged water supply shortage in California, has resulted in losses in water sales revenue used to fund core services. However, only a small percentage (2 percent) of the combined 15.8 percent water & sewer rate increase for FY 2009 will be used to mitigate these revenue losses.

“This rate increase has very little to do with our conservation success over the last 11 months,” according to Kevin L. Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. “Our operational costs, like the cost of imported water and electricity, are increasing at a rate greatly in excess of general inflation.”

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California, retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Long Beach Water and Sewer Rates Increasing Oct 1st ; Water Commission Approves Combined 15.8 Percent Increase; 2 percent will mitigate lost revenue due to extraordinary water conservation effort

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 26, 2008 at 7:42 am

From the Long Beach Water Department, this press release:

The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners unanimously approved an increase in water and sewer rates for FY 2009 a combined 15.8 percent for all Long Beach Water Department customers, subject to a special public protest hearing to be held on September 18th. The increase will add an additional $5.39 per month to the typical single family household’s water bill, and an additional $1.30 per month to the typical single family household’s sewer bill. The total monthly combined increase for water and sewer service will be $6.69, or $80.28 annually.

The increase in water and sewer rates is driven by the sharp increase in the core costs of providing water and sewer service; many of those costs, like imported water purchases, are unavoidable. In addition to cost increases, the immediate and unavoidable need to reduce consumption of water due to an imminent, prolonged water supply shortage in California, has resulted in losses in water sales revenue used to fund core services. A small percentage (2 percent) of the combined 15.8 percent water & sewer rate increase for FY 2009 will be used to mitigate these revenue losses.

“The increase to water and sewer rates is substantial, and unavoidable,” according to Bill Townsend, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. “Imported water, upon which our city is heavily reliant, is up 14.3 percent and is expected to get significantly more expensive with each year. Construction, power, water treatment, labor and other fees and assessments we are required to pay are all up substantially. We have done everything we can as a Board, in the limited areas where we can, to mitigate these cost increases, including a 40 percent reduction next year in our water main replacement and rehabilitation program.”

For the Fiscal Year ’07-’08, water consumption in Long Beach is 6.5 percent below the 10-year average for water consumption. In turn, projected sales for 2009 have been reduced by 7 percent, an impact of $3.7 million. Water sales revenue constitutes 73.1 percent of the Long Beach Water Department’s total annual revenue. In 2009, revenue resulting from the sale of water will total $75.7 million.

“This rate increase has very little to do with our conservation success over the last 11 months,” according to Kevin L. Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. “Our operational costs, like the cost of imported water and electricity, are increasing at a rate greatly in excess of general inflation.”

The Board of Water Commissioners will hold a special public hearing to consider any public protest of their proposed increases to water and sewer rates for FY 2009, which begins October 1, 2008. This hearing will be held on Thursday, September 18, 2008, at 7:00 p.m., at the Long Beach Groundwater Treatment Plant Assembly Room, located at 2950 Redondo Avenue, Long Beach, California.

On July 10, 2008, the Board of Water Commissioners adopted a $105 million budget for the Long Beach Water Department for FY 2009.

For detailed information about the increase in water and sewer rates or the special public protest hearing scheduled for September 18th, please visit www.lbwater.org., or call (562) 570-2300.

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California, retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

###

Ryan J. Alsop
Director of Government & Public Affairs
Long Beach Water

Water board turns off rate hike: Long Beach rates will not increase yet, pending implementation of a tiered water rate system

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 11, 2008 at 10:15 am

From the Long Beach Press-Telegram:

Water and sewer rates will not increase, at least not yet.

The Board of Water Commissioners on Thursday rejected a plan to increase residential water and sewer rates, postponing what the department says is inevitable. The increase has been delayed until the Long Beach Water Department can create a tiered system to encourage commercial, industrial, irrigation and business sectors to conserve water and pay for what dean of the Commissioners Stephen Conley calls a commodity.

“I felt that we’ve addressed this issue for three years, and it’s time to do it on a simplistic basis. Simplistic basis being that we’re talking about water as a commodity, so the more you use, the more you ought to pay. That’s what the residential people do, so it ought to be the same for the other people,” Conley said.

Conley suggested that the water department look at Los Angeles, Irvine and other cities that have tiered rate systems to come up with its own, more simplistic two-tiered system. “We don’t have the detail and the data to be able to create a very refined method of allocation,” Conley said.

However, Kevin Wattier, the general manager of the water department, said that it would probably take many years for the entire project to be implemented.

Ryan Alsop, the director of government and public affairs, said he agrees with Wattier and that the new utility billing system is a multi-year, multi-million dollar initiative. The millions of dollars go toward the software, hardware, infrastructure and other necessities for the installation of the new comprehensive utility billing system for the City of Long Beach, headed by the city’s technology services group. This system would include not only water, but sewer, gas, garbage and possibly other services.

The city’s technology services will be going to the City Council on July 22 to award a contract for this project, said Wattier via e-mail.

Read the full text of this story from the Long Beach Press-Telegram by clicking here.

L.A. fiddles around while Long Beach breaks records for water conservation

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 9, 2008 at 7:46 am

From Ron Kaye LA Blog:

Did you hear the one about the top L.A. water official who wants you to drink toilet water and personally uses twice as much as the average guy?

Not funny? How’s this: The head of the Long Beach water agency uses one-sixth as much water for his family of five as David Nahai, the head of L.A.’s DWP, does for his family of five.

I’m dying out here trying to get a laugh.

So not only does Long Beach water chief Kevin Wattier conserve himself but he’s got the whole town doing it. Water consumption in Long Beach in June was at a 10-year-low for that month. It was 5.7 percent lower than any in June in a decade, 10.5 percent below the 10-year average and for that last 12 months Long Beach is using 7 percent less water than the average of the last 10 years.

Now that’s funny, you got to admit. Especially when you know L.A.’s water use is just about at the average of recent years — 2.4 percent lower than last year but 20.5 percent higher than two years ago.

So next time you hear the mayor, your City Council member or David Nahai talk about how “green” they are, you can laugh in their face certain in the knowledge that they are hypocrites and deceivers.

It’s Long Beach that’s green and every water official knows why. Kevin Wattier didn’t talk about conserving water, he did something about it — last September — when he figured out that California is facing a water crisis. Demand exceeds supply and it’s not a temporary problem. “We’re really in trouble,” Wattier told me. “We need to make permanent lifestyle changes. Everybody in Southern California needs to permanently reduce their water use. We’re at the tipping point and we need to face reality.”

Read the rest of Ron Kaye’s article by clicking here.

Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners to consider water hike: Rates may rise by about $7 a month for residential customers

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 9, 2008 at 7:09 am

From the Long Beach Press-Telegram:

The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners likely will pass a proposed 15.8 percent increase in residential water and sewage monthly bills Thursday. Residential customers with an approximately $42 monthly bill will see an increase of about $7 per month, according to a water department staff proposal.

The water department is forced to raise rates for water and sewer services as construction and water treatment prices increase and water consumption decreases, said Ryan Alsop, director of Government and Public Affairs for the water department. “Our water conservation efforts and our success will translate into a rate increase of some kind, but we have no choice,” Alsop said.

The board will discuss fee increases at its meeting Thursday at 9:15 a.m. at the water department’s administration building at 1800 E. Wardlow Road.

The department must increase rates because prices for electricity, steel production, water treatment and other construction costs have increased, Alsop said. Imported water, which increased by about 14 percent, also will have a significant effect on water and sewer service prices, he said.

“Just the core services of providing you with water and sewer service are increasing substantially, but along with all of those increased costs is a decrease in revenue due to conservation. But, again, it’s either conserve or don’t have any,” Alsop said.

Read the rest of this story from the Long Beach Press-Telegram by clicking here.

Long Beach hits record low water use in June; June ‘08 is 10.5% below 10-year-average; FY’08 YTD tracking at new 10-year record low

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 9, 2008 at 6:56 am

From the Long Beach Water Department:

LONG BEACH, CA – Today, Bill Townsend, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners, announced that Long Beach has hit another record low for water consumption, this time for June. Water consumption in June 2008 was 5.7 percent below the lowest consumption for any June in the last decade and 10.5 percent lower than the 10-year-average. For entire Fiscal Year 2008, Long Beach is tracking nearly 7 percent below the 10-year-average, which will set a new 10-year, annual water consumption record.

On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board has issued mandatory prohibitions on certain uses of water. “The Board took the action it did, nearly one year ago now, to forestall lessen the impact of an expected water supply shortage,” stated Bill Townsend, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. “We took the action we did last September because we wanted Long Beach to be the very best prepared city in southern California to deal with a regional water supply shortage. We continue to be encouraged by the response we are getting from the community and we are hopeful others in southern California will join the effort.” The City of Long Beach has set a new 10-year record for low water consumption in six of the last ten months.

The Water Commission’s September 2007 Declaration was necessitated by the profound impact of a U.S. District Court’s August 31st, federal Endangered Species Act ruling; the dramatic, rapid reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California; and drought conditions. Nearly half of the City’s water supply is imported.

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California, retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Water emergency will get worse, say Long Beach officials

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 19, 2008 at 6:23 am

From the Grunion Gazette:

Long Beach residents are using less water than ever before — and the reward will be a request to use even less.

Last week, the Long Beach Water Department announced that the city had hit a new 10-year low for water use in May, dropping 8% below the 10-year average. If the conservation efforts stay on track, the city will mark its lowest use for an entire year this year, dropping 6% below the 10-year average. In the face of a statewide water shortage that only promises to get worse, those numbers are critical, according to Ryan Alsop, director of government and public affairs at the Water Department.

“The supply situation will just get worse as time goes on,” Alsop said. “What the (Water) Board saw a year ago is now being acknowledged all around the area, and in many instances our policies are being copied. But we’re still depleting our water reserves to water lawns instead of saving it for basic needs.”

Read the full text of this article from the Grunion Gazette by clicking here.

Long Beach hits record low water use in May; May ‘08 is 8% below 10-year-average; City achieving lowest annual use on record over last 10-Years

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 5, 2008 at 6:05 am

From Business Wire:

The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners has announced that Long Beach has hit a new 10-year record low for water consumption in May, with use dropping to 8 percent below the 10-year average. Long Beach is 6 percent below the 10-year average for the entire year, and achieving the lowest annual use on record over the last 10 years.

The City of Long Beach has been operating under Declaration of an Imminent Water Supply Shortage since September of 2007. This Water Commission action, coupled with an earlier June 2007 Declaration of Immediate and Extraordinary Conservation, which was implemented nearly one year ago today, was a direct result of:

1. Knowledge of a permanent, massive loss of water supply from the Owens Valley into southern California
2. Knowledge of a permanent, massive loss of water supply from the Colorado River into southern California
3. Knowledge of record low water storage along the Colorado River due to prolonged drought throughout the Colorado River Watershed
4. Knowledge of the ongoing, rapid depletion of in-state water supply reserves to meet basic water needs
5. Knowledge of long-term, potential global climate change impacts on future southern California water supply reliability
6. Knowledge that the reliability of the Bay Delta, the only remaining southern California imported water source, other than the Colorado River and the Owens Valley, is in serious decline.
7. Knowledge of a federal court decision to greatly reduce imported water exports to southern California in order to protect an endangered species of fish in the California Bay Delta.
8. Knowledge of the potential for further court action on several additional species of fish that live in the Delta, that could further reduce Delta pumping.
9. Knowledge of record low rainfall in winter of 2006/2007.
10. Knowledge that demands for imported water have been increasing since the early 1990’s (record high demand for imported water in Summer of 2007)
11. Knowledge that even with normal weather conditions, demand for imported water continues to increase, while these imported water sources are being permanently reduced.
12. Knowledge that mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor water uses and other extraordinary conservation measures could go a long way toward mitigating the impacts of all of the above, both in the short and long term, at very little cost and effort on the part of our customers.

13. Knowledge that there was a significant probability that the water supply situation would get worse and that taking prudent action was the responsible thing to do.

“What this means is that we’ve essentially moved into a world where even in NORMAL years, we don’t have enough water,” according to Kevin L. Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. “Without a more aggressive effort to implement extraordinary conservation, among other important longer term, permanent solutions, southern California is currently positioning itself for catastrophic failure in the event of a protracted drought.”

The Long Beach Water Commission’s Declaration in September triggered an aggressive public education campaign and imposed mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water, to include:

1. Irrigation of landscapes, now limited to Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays only.
2. Irrigating landscapes between the hours of 9am and 4pm, for longer than 10 minutes per station, is prohibited
3. Over watering landscapes causing excessive run-off is prohibited
4. Washing driveways, walkways, patios, store fronts, parking lots and other paved surfaces is prohibited, unless you’re using a pressurized water conserving cleaning device.

“We need to engineer a permanent lifestyle change in the way we all see and use our water, so that inefficient and wasteful uses are no longer tolerated by anyone,” stated Bill Townsend, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. “The only way a successful effort is going to be sustained, is if we have all of Southern California on board. We are happy to see Los Angeles moving forward with their plan.”

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Bad News for State’s Water Supply Future; Dry March/April leaves snowpack well below normal for the year

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on April 30, 2008 at 3:44 pm

From the Long Beach Water Department, this press release:

LONG BEACH, CA – The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners are again calling for more aggressive action from southern California on the eve of the California Department of Water Resources May 1st Sierra snowpack survey announcement. Tomorrow, it will be announced that Sierra snowpack is now roughly 67 percent of normal for the year, following a dry March and April. Just two months ago, statewide snowpack was 116 percent of normal. Additionally, Lake Oroville, the primary reservoir for the State Water Project, is lower today than any April 30th since 1991. In fact, the volume of water stored in our most critical supply reservoirs is, collectively, 2.4 million-acre-feet (28 percent) less today then at this time last year.

Meanwhile, the State Water Project allocation (the amount of water State alots to the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Valley and to southern California cities) remains at a meager 35 percent, meaning southern California is, today, expected to receive only 35 percent of normal imported water deliveries from the California Bay Delta. The State Water Project allocation has not been this low since 1991, at the end of the 1987-1991 drought. Last year, State Water Project deliveries were around 60 percent.

“Once again, we call on the Metropolitan Water District and the southern California water supply community to join Long Beach and take a more aggressive, long-term, public stance on the need to immediately implement extraordinary conservation measures,” stated Bill Townsend, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. “We continue to deplete our State’s water reserves at an alarming rate,” said Kevin Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. “Bold action is needed now by water agencies throughout southern California to reduce demands on our rapidly depleting water resources.”

In March, during a joint Senate Committee hearing held in Sacramento, Roger Patterson, Assistant General Manager with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), read a prepared statement into public record, stating that his agency “is rapidly depleting its existing water supply reserves with no relief in sight.” The MWD wholesales imported water supplies to communities throughout southern California, who are dependent on imported supplies. Fifty percent of Long Beach’s water supply is purchased from the MWD.

In June of 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners implemented extraordinary conservation measures, including enforcement of new citywide restrictions on certain outdoor water uses. These efforts have achieved an additional 7 percent reduction in water use citywide through March of this year.

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

See illegal uses of water, HERE

Ryan J. Alsop
Director of Government & Public Affairs
Long Beach Water

Long Beach named California’s Leader in Water Management; the city wins California’s Green Leadership award

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on April 9, 2008 at 6:51 am

From a press release from the rightfully proud Long Beach Water Department:

Long Beach has been named the winner of the 2008 Green California Leadership Award for Water Management at the Green California Summit, being held this week in Sacramento. The Green California Leadership Award recognizes outstanding environmental achievements by state and local government. Awards were presented in each of the following categories: Climate Change; Waste Management; Energy Innovation; Transportation; Green Building; Water Management; Purchasing: and Green Culture. Rosario Marin, Secretary of the California State and Consumer Services Agency, and Linda Adams, Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, lead the Green California Summit Advisory Board, made up of senior government officials, business executives, and distinguished members of academia. The Advisory Board selected this year’s award winners.

“I’m proud of our City, I’m pleased with the job our Water Commission is doing, and I am especially grateful to our citizens for really stepping up and showing some strong leadership here,” states Mayor Bob Foster. Patrick West, Long Beach City Manager, added, “we have all coalesced around the effort to permanently change the way we think about and use our water, so that inefficient and wasteful uses are no longer tolerated. Implementation of strict prohibitions on certain outdoor watering activities, bolstered with aggressive public communications, is the future, and this city is embracing the future.” [emphasis added by Aquafornia]

Long Beach’s Board of Water Commissioners officially declared a water supply shortage imminent in September of last year, triggering prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water, among other things. The Declaration also increased, in both frequency and scope, communication with the public. Since September of last year, Long Beach has achieved an additional 8 percent reduction in water consumption. The City set records for low water use in September, November and December of 2007, with October of last year, and January and February of this year, at near record lows.

Just last week, the Long Beach Water Department announced that northern California water supply reservoirs have been rapidly depleted this year to meet California’s demand for water, due to the effects of record drought. In fact, the volume of water stored in these critical supply reservoirs is, collectively, 2.6 million-acre-feet (30 percent) less today then at this time last year. Despite this year’s average snow pack in the Sierra Mountains, the California Department of Water Resources has announced that water deliveries to the Bay Area, the Central Valley and to southern California “will be far below normal this year,” due to a recent Federal court ruling which has significantly restricted pumping in the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta.

“The only way a successful conservation effort is going to be sustained, is if we ultimately have all of southern California on board,” according to Bill Townsend, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. “We’re very happy to have this acknowledgment and we hope it inspires others in southern California to be more aggressive in this cause.”

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Coverage from the Long Beach Press Telegram by clicking here.

Long Beach loses out to LA and San Diego with Metropolitan’s drought allocation plan

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 21, 2008 at 11:11 pm

From the Long Beach Press-Telegram, this editorial:

The issue is so complicated most people don’t realize it, but cities in the Long Beach area just lost a water war. The big winners were L.A. and San Diego.

The losers aren’t feeling any pain yet, but they probably will in the next drought. A water allocation plan approved last week by the Metropolitan Water District tips the balance heavily in favor of L.A., San Diego, Orange County and fast-growing Inland Valley communities.

The MWD, eager to keep the peace among its municipal water customers, says there isn’t really any problem, but we’re not so sure. City officials and the heads of water agencies say otherwise.

It’s not about supply, as Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster says, it’s about money. Under the new plan, residents of cities in the Long Beach area would pay a bigger share proportionately than L.A. and the faster-growing areas. Water bills could go up in Long Beach as much as 22 percent, in addition to any MWD rate increase (and a substantial increase is coming). Foster says the new plan doesn’t follow practices laid down in state law.

MWD officials say, soothingly, that the new plan spreads drought-related water cuts as evenly as possible. But local officials say that in a drought Long Beach and others would need more water than allocated, and would be penalized financially.

The writer points out that penalizing Long Beach to the benefit of Los Angeles is especially galling because Long Beach has enacted conservation efforts which have been successful, while Los Angeles has done virtually nothing. Read the full text of this editorial from the Long Beach Press Telegram by clicking here.

Long Beach officials criticize Metropolitan’s shortage allocation plan; a lawsuit is possible

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 15, 2008 at 7:56 am

From the Long Beach Press-Telegram:

A water allocation plan approved this week by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California shortchanges Long Beach and some neighboring communities, city leaders say.

If implemented, the allocation plan, which is the first of its kind designed by the MWD in case of drought, could cost Long Beach $10 million to $15 million in penalties, driving up local water rates by 22 percent, according to Mayor Bob Foster.

Long Beach Water Department officials said they might sue the MWD, and Foster said he couldn’t rule out legal action.

The mayor said the plan doesn’t allocate water using preferential rights, which is based on cities’ past contributions other than water purchases to the MWD, as set forth by state legislation. “This is not about supply,” Foster said. “Every member of the Met’s going to get the water they need. It’s about money. It’s an attempt to change a historic formula that’s been embedded a long time.”

Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the MWD, said “preferential rights” have never been used and that the allocation plan spreads the water cuts “as evenly as possible” among all the member agencies.

“Long Beach would not be shouldering more of a burden than other cities under this plan,” Kightlinger said.

Get more on this story from the Press-Telegram by clicking here.

Long Beach not happy with MWD’s shortage allocation plan; Long Beach officials are talking injunction if approved

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 23, 2008 at 8:06 pm

From the Long Beach Gazette:

Because of a prolonged drought and a ruling earlier this year restricting the amount of water imported from Northern California, it appears that demand may soon outstrip the amount of water MWD has available. That in turn has prompted MWD to draft a new allocation plan for what water it does get.

That plan, which appears to be designed to circumvent current state law, will be voted on at the Feb. 18 MWD board meeting. Under the current law, Long Beach has preferential rights to buy water because of past investments in the MWD water delivery system and as a founding member of the district.

Under the proposed formula, cities heavily dependent on MWD water and growing cities would receive preference, while cities such as Long Beach with a significant local water supply would both receive less water and pay more. Big winners in the plan would be Los Angeles and San Diego — both heavy users of MWD water. San Diego in particular has little local water available.

Long Beach water officials sent a letter to Metropolitan Water District, saying that if MWD approves the plan, they would be violating their own policies. Long Beach officials also contend that MWD plans to sell to agricultural users, violating a state laws that require water to be provided for domestic and municipal water first.

Long Beach Water Department General Manager Kevin Wattier said this week that his agency may be forced to sue MWD if the current plan is approved. He said Long Beach is being penalized for doing a good job conserving water and preparing for a shortage.

“We would be forced to seek an injunction,” Wattier said. “This is clearly against state law because it ignores the allocation set out in the MWD Act.”

To read the full text of this article from the Long Beach Gazette, click here.

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