Cal Am: Cutback order would ban outdoor watering Courtesy of the Carmel Pinecone
By KELLY NIXPublished: August 21, 2009
IF THE State Water Resources Control Board imposes even modest cutbacks on the Monterey Peninsula to protect the Carmel River's population of steelhead trout, residents can probably forget about watering their gardens, according to California American Water.
The cutbacks would also mean rationing at homes and businesses and an end to new water hookups, even in those few cases where a small amount of water remains available, such as the water Carmel has been saving for the Trevett Court senior housing project.
On July 27, the state water board revised its proposed cease and desist order against Cal Am, requiring the company to reduce pumping from the Carmel River, the Peninsula's main water source.
The cutbacks were reduced from an earlier version of the order. But they would still have serious consequences, water officials say.
"The order would likely mean elimination of all outdoor water use," said Cal Am general manager Craig Anthony.
The state water board's original cease and desist order, proposed in January 2008, called for Cal Am to reduce river usage from 15 to 50 percent within six years. The revised draft order would spread the cutbacks over a period as long as 30 years.
The latest order would also mean Cal Am customers would likely have to pay much more for their water.
"This order could limit customers to between 30 and 50 gallons per person per day while requiring a large investment in our system, which would result in a large rate increase for customers, without producing any new water," Anthony said.
Environmental groups such as the Sierra Club insist that conservation is the key to saving more water. But water customers on the Monterey Peninsula already conserve more water than any other community in California, and Anthony said he's not sure how much additional conservation is possible on the Monterey Peninsula.
"At this point, it is not possible to determine whether California American Water will be able to meet the reductions in this order through conservation," he said.
The order would also mean that residents would immediately be subject to rationing.
On Sept. 2, the state water board will hold a public hearing in Sacramento, and could adopt the cease and desist order before Oct. 1.
Injunction no longer sought
Meanwhile, the Sierra Club and Carmel River Steelhead Association have withdrawn their request for an injunction against Cal Am as part of the group's Endangered Species Act lawsuit in federal court.
The suit, filed June 25, sought an immediate 35 percent reduction in pumping from the Carmel River.
According to the suit, an immediate reduction in pumping would prevent the Carmel River steelhead from "being reduced to a remnant." Restoring river flows would protect the steelhead's rearing habitat, according to the groups.
Though the injunction - filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California - was withdrawn Aug. 16, there was no indication in court files why the groups chose to do that.
The lawsuit was set to go before a judge Sept. 18.
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