Contingency plans drawn up for possible SoCal water rationing

By: Associated Press - | Friday, September 7, 2007 10:10 AM PDT ∞

LOS ANGELES -- Contingency plans currently being drawn up could force Southern California water officials to order rationing next year.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, serving 18 million people in six counties, warned Wednesday that mandatory rationing could become necessary for the first time since 1991.

The district imports about two-thirds of its water from Northern California and the Colorado River.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger in Fresno ruled water imports from the north must be cut up to 30 percent to protect the delta smelt, a small fish threatened with extinction.

Adding to the problem are the threat of earthquakes and flooding, saltwater intrusion and aging levees in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

"We have further evidence that the delta is in crisis, if there was any doubt about it," said Lester Snow, director of the state Department of Water Resources.

The Metropolitan Water District stands to lose more than 10 percent of all the water members use because of the court decision.

Although it's unclear how much water will move south, the district is preparing an allocation plan on how much it might be able to provide the 26 cities and water agencies it serves, assistant general manager Roger Patterson said.

Each member agency will determine how much residents will have to cut back.

"The question is 'how soon do we need to go into that kind of decision-making?' Do we have to do that in 2008, or do we rely on our reserve account -- or (banked water) savings -- to not do that in 2008? Those are the policy decisions that will be made," Patterson said.

It's hoped a rainy winter and voluntary conservation efforts will thwart rationing, he said.

Los Angeles gets nearly 70 percent of its water from the district.

"If we have rationing in Los Angeles, it won't be the first time that that has happened," said David Nahai, president of Department of Water and Power commissioners. "If that is what will be needed in order to safeguard our water supplies, well, so be it. But we'll have to see just what this plan is that Metropolitan Water District will be putting forward."

The district plans to present its allocation plan to the DWP board this fall.

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