LA County Board Of Supervisors To Consider Water Conservation Plan

MARINA DEL REY (CBSLA.com) – Members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday are expected to consider a conservation plan that would triple charges for customers who fail to meet mandated water consumption targets.

Officials explained customers who reside under L.A. County Waterworks Districts and Marina Del Rey Water System are being asked to cut back in water usage as a result of the state's ongoing drought.

Under the water conservation plan, county water district customers who fail to cut back on saving water would face surcharges of 100 to 200 percent, authorities said.

The proposed plan is in response to Gov. Brown's executive order that requires a 25 percent statewide reduction of urban water use.

Residents in Marina Del Rey, Val Verde, Kagel Canyon, and Acton have been asked to comply with water regulations that limit outdoor watering to two days per week.

Those who live in Topanga Canyon and Malibu were asked to cut back water use by 36 percent, while residents in the Antelope Valley were mandated to cut back usage to 32 percent.

Officials explained the problem lies in that the hardest hit residents are living in areas that have been documented with the highest per-capita usage.

Many residents feel the mandated cutbacks would be impossible to reach.

In fact, two city council members in Malibu expressed concern that hikes would disproportionately hurt residents who may have been conserving water for years before the drought began.

If the conservation plan is approved, residents who are found using excess water, and up to 115 percent of the target amount, would be issued a 100 percent surcharge. Residents using additional water beyond the target would receive the 200 percent surcharge.

The Board of Supervisors are expected to meet at 9:30 a.m. in Los Angeles.

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