Los Banos leaders want more water reduction

Los Banos fell just short of its state-mandated water conservation level, but the city is taking measures to make sure it can avoid fines that could be imposed by Sacramento.

On April 1, Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order mandating California to reduce water consumption by 25 percent. To reach that number, cities were ordered to decrease consumption by targets ranging from 10 to 35 percent. Public Works Director Mark Fachin said Los Banos was told to reduce water consumption by 28 percent.

In June, the state began tracking whether cities are meeting the reduction levels. Fachin said August figures are not yet available, but in June and July, Los Banos reduced water usage by a cumulative 27.2 percent.

“Certain residents aren’t conserving water,” Fachin said.

Watering is allowed for odd-numbered addresses on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and residents with even-numbered addresses are allowed to water their lawns on Wednesdays and Sundays. Watering is prohibited between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Fachin said, as was the issue before the governor’s mandate, people are obeying the watering rules but are watering their lawns too long. He said residents should only water their lawns twice in five-minute intervals.

Fachin said city staffers are patrolling neighborhoods and handing out fines to residents deemed to be using too much water. He said about 700 citations have been issued so far. Fachin said four staffers will be on patrol in the early morning hours on days watering is not allowed because he suspects that’s when a lot of illegal watering is occurring. He said homeowners watering at those times will not be disturbed from their sleep, but can expect the city to send them pictures of their lawns being watered during prohibited time periods.

Fines, however, have been set low. The first fine is $15, the second is $30 and the third is $70.

Fachin is not interested in raising fines to $150 or $200, which are the penalties in Gustine and Merced.

“We’re not trying to be vindictive,” Fachin said. “Less than 7 percent of the (fines) are for second violations. That tells you that the citations are working.”

City Manager Steve Carrigan said the city has been reluctant to raise fine amounts, but he is not ruling out asking the City Council to do so.

Carrigan said he believes his staff will not have any trouble spotting residents who disobey the rules.

“It’s pretty easy; their lawns look like Augusta,” he said.

Carrigan said there are three components to water reduction.

“There are three main players when it comes to water use. The first big player is the city, the second is the school district and the third is the residents,” Carrigan said. “We were doing fine in June, then we had a hot spell in July and people went back to their old ways.”

Fachin said Los Banos’ residents are responsible for 75 percent of the water consumption. He said the school district has helped in reduction efforts and the city has decreased watering at its parks.

Fachin said the state has not indicated how punitive it will be to cities that do not meet their mandate, but there are cities in California that are a lot further from meeting their conservation levels than Los Banos.

This story was originally published September 7, 2015 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Los Banos leaders want more water reduction."