By Parnia Mazhar
Staff Writer
It is imperative that Manhattan Beach city officials appropriately implement and enforce California’s new legislation regarding water restrictions in order to further control the misuse of water in California.
California Governor Jerry Brown has recently proclaimed that California is in a stage-three drought, the most extreme stage that calls for mandatory restrictions. As a result, Brown has called for a 25-percent reduction in potable water usage statewide until the end of February 2016.
Therefore, the Metropolitan Water District Board, a consortium of 26 cities in Southern California, ratified its Stage Three Water Shortage Allocation Plan, which requires Manhattan Beach to implement California’s permanent water conservation measures that restrict irrigation, leaking pipes and water displays.
Because of these new state-mandated and city-implemented measures, residents are no longer allowed to operate fountains or sprinklers outside of their homes when there are high winds. This regulation will help prevent water drifting and wasting.
An additional city regulation established after Brown announced the new reduction percentile now limits landscape watering to one day per week after 6 p.m.
The city’s new water restrictions should be enforced statewide to guarantee all towns are adhering to Brown’s emergency drought relief laws.
If residents follow such regulations, they will be effective and beneficial as a large portion of the water that is lost in the U.S. is due to landscape watering. According to a Water Sense report by the United States Protection Water Agency, approximately nine billion gallons of water are lost each day nationwide due to residents watering their lawns and backyards excessively.
According to a recent water conservation report, any person who violates the water restrictions will receive an additional charge of $75 or 200 percent of his or her total water bill for the nearest billing period, depending on which is greater. This significant penalty for perpetrators will certainly curb any extraneous use of water and bring about a more beneficial level of consumption for the city’s residents.
Although Manhattan Beach residents may not recognize the results of the loss of water in the oceanfront town, the state of California as a whole has been experiencing major losses and damage due to the state’s drought, such as the destruction of aquatic ecosystems, the depletion of groundwater and the drying of brush that increases the risk of wildfire in especially dry areas.
Although not all residents are aware of the current problems caused by the extreme drought, it is acceptable to expect all city officials to be informed and take action to enforce regulations that protect the state as a whole.
Currently, the city of Manhattan Beach provides water to residents and businesses through its utilities division and in coordination with the West Basin Municipal Water District. In order to protect the water supply, the city should devote extra resources, such as police, to collecting these fines and strictly enforcing the newly formed regulations.
Manhattan Beach’s new implementation of state water restrictions must be stringently carried out in these stage-three drought conditions in order to preserve the state’s environment.
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