Coachella Valley water suppliers each hit with $61K fines

This year saw California’s worst drought in history, but the politics of water has always been central to the state’s culture.

Two other water agencies in California also are being fined: the cities of Beverly Hills and Redlands, which also will pay $61,000 each.

Representatives with those four communities weren’t immediately available for comment Friday.

The good news is that Californians reduced water use by more than 26 percent during September, exceeding Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.’s 25 percent conservation mandate for a fourth straight month.

California Water Service Co. customers in Torrance and Carson saved less water than they did in August, but still came in well over target in September at 22.8 percent. Cris Carrigan, head of enforcement with the State Water Resources Control Board says they’ll each be fined $61,000. “For these four suppliers, it’s been too little too late to achieve their conservation standard”.

“We’re in the position of having to prepare for drought and flooding at the same time, but that’s what we’re faced with”, said Felicia Marcus, Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board.

California is in the middle of a severe drought, emptying lakes and starting a state of emergency.

The cities can appeal their fines to a five-member state board according to MSN.

“Beverly Hills is very concerned about not meeting the 32 percent goal set by the state”, the city said in a statement.

That put the state about halfway toward its goal of saving 1.2 million acre-feet of water between June 2015 and February 2016. So they used 174.6 million more gallons of water than they were supposed to.

The reduction met Mr Brown’s target but was below the 27 per cent decline recorded in August and the 31 per cent savings in July. And has been too slow take actions to improve conservation, state water officials said Friday. If the four agencies do not make progress, the state could issue a cease-and-desist order at a fine rate of $10,000 a day. The four agencies have constantly failed to meet their individual conservation targets. And despite hopes for a wet winter brought on by strong El Nio conditions now in the Pacific Ocean, reservoir levels are dangerously low, groundwater is being overpumped, a few poor rural communities have seen their wells fail, and forest fire risk remains still high.

“The representation that we haven’t done enough – I think it is at odds with what we have done, and frankly the efforts our customers have made to save a tremendous amount of water”, Powell said. Indio, a desert resort town 20 miles east of Palm Springs and with a population of about 70,000, is located in the typically hot, dry Coachella Valley section of Southern California.

In Beverly Hills, home to wealthy estates with fountains, well-kept lawns and gardens, water use was about 169 gallons per person for September.