■ Benicia becomes one of few communities statewide to meet Gov. Jerry Brown’s request; no fines imposed or warnings given, city manager says
Even as other Californians have struggled to conserve, Benicia has stepped up during the state’s water crisis.
The city reduced its water use by 21.5 percent between March and July when compared to the same time frame in 2013, City Manager Brad Kilger said.
Gov. Jerry Brown has asked Californians to cut their water use by 20 percent, but the State Water Resources Control Board has reported much of the state has fallen short of accomplishing that in the midst of the severe drought.
“Benicia customers,” on the other hand, “are making impressive progress reducing water use, and their efforts are acknowledge and appreciated,” Kilger wrote in the monthly water report he was to present to the City Council on Tuesday night.
“Furthermore, Benicia already has mandatory outdoor watering restrictions in place that comply with the state’s new water conservation regulations that went into effect July 29,” he added.
“The drought conditions remain very serious,” but since Brown’s declaration earlier this year, Benicia and its government have taken several short-term steps to deal with the situation, Kilger wrote, from asking for a 20-percent voluntary cutback to authorizing up to $900,000 for water purchases.
Benicia entered into an agreement July 25 with Vacaville to buy up to 4,000 acre-feet of Solano Project carryover water at $200 per acre-foot, and on Aug. 6 the city purchased 2,000 acre-feet for $400,000, Kilger wrote. That water is stored in Lake Berryessa.
“The city has until December 2014 to decide if the remaining 2,000 acre-feet of water will be purchased,” he wrote the Council.
The city adopted emergency outdoor watering restrictions and has been managing its water supply after the State Water Project announced the city would get none of its allocation, then revised that to 5 percent — but none before next month.
In addition, the city has been conserving the water supply it has stored in Lake Berryessa and managing the water in Lake Herman. Benicia also has been making improvements to water infrastructure “to ensure reliability and redundancy,” Kilger wrote the Council.
“All of these efforts are intended to ensure, to the extent feasible, an adequate water supply through February 2016 if the drought continues.”
While state analyses use 2013 as a baseline, Benicia employees had been using 2012 as a base year to monitor and measure water conservation, because it was a “typical water use year,” Kilger explained. In contrast, 2013 was a drier year, causing greater water consumption.
However, to keep its numbers comparable to those of the rest of the state, city staff has begun using 2013 as a base year.
Kilger wrote that if Benicians continue to conserve, the city may not need to buy additional water this year.
City Attorney Heather McLaughlin is reviewing state provisions for water restrictions and penalties to make sure Benicia’s water emergency contingency plan is in compliance, and will recommend any modifications the Council would need to adopt once her review is complete.
“Since the Council adopted mandatory outdoor water restrictions on July 1, the city has received numerous communications from residents,” Kilger wrote.
Public Works employees have received more than 100 calls, most of which came on the water conservation hotline.
Other departments also have received calls, primarily from those with questions about the restrictions, but also from those who believe neighbors, companies and the city itself are violating water restrictions. Some are requests for exemptions, while others have described how the city’s drought surcharge would affect them financially.
Kilger wrote that four exceptions have been issued in cases where water savings would be achieved in other ways or when water is needed for health and safety reasons.
Regarding those who have violated the city’s new water rules, he said the city hasn’t yet had to issue warnings or impose fines.
“So far, an educational approach of informing residents about the restrictions has been successful in bringing residents into compliance with the restrictions,” Kilger wrote.