For the first time since April 2015, Malibu residents will not be subjected to increased water charges due to strict water restrictions.
“Effective June 1, Malibu will no longer observe phased water conservation plans,” Waterworks District 29 Engineer Dave Rydman told city council Monday, June 27.
“All customers will be billed with the normal rate structures for District 29. No more targets will be shown on bills. No more conservation surcharges will be added to water that is used after June 1,” Rydman said.
The County Board of Supervisors voted to suspend the phased water conservation plan after discussing District 29’s projections with West Basin Municipal Water District and concluding the district, which supplies water to most of Malibu, would meet the projected demands of water for the next three years. This meant that mandating a conservation plan was unnecessary.
“On May 18, 2016, the [State Water Resources Control Board] adopted a revised water conservation regulation that requires urban water suppliers to self-certify whether they have sufficient water available to meet customers’ needs, assuming three more dry years,” reads a letter ratified by the Board of Supervisors.
District 29, classified as an urban water supplier, met this criterion — despite a history of missing target water usage goals by as much as 10-15 percent.
“In discussions with West Basin Municipal Water District, and based on their projections, they’re showing that there should be sufficient supplies in District 29 to meet the projected demands that will be experienced in District 29 for the next three years,” Rydman explained.
“Three dry years” was described in the supervisors’ letter as mirroring the drought conditions experienced in the area from 2012-15.
In May, Malibu residents achieved an average 16 percent reduction in water usage compared to usage in May 2013. Cumulatively, Malibu has reduced water usage by 20 percent since water conservation mandates went into effect in April of last year.
Despite consistently falling short of the original 36 percent reduction target, Rydman called these reductions “very admirable for this area of California,” especially due to Malibu’s unique issues with large landscapes and the potential of fire risk.
The county waterworks reminds residents that although the conservation plan will no longer be in effect, the drought persists in California. County waterworks will continue to do outreach, offer rebates and education and will install smart metering devices on high water users in the district.
Emily Sawicki contributed to this report.