Thirsty for more: Area officials waiting for further details from Gov. Brown's strict plan to reduce water

CJ Dablo:
Staff Writer

Although earlier this month, Gov. Jerry Brown announced that he would mandate a statewide reduction in water usage by 25 percent, there are still no details available for the impact on cities like Long Beach and Signal Hill.
Brown released his overall plan for statewide cuts to water consumption on April 1, the day of the annual snow survey at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, about 90 miles east of Sacramento. In his press statement, Brown noted that this year’s survey reveals the lowest snow pack ever recorded.
His mandate as outlined in his press release also includes other programs to help save water. About 50 million square feet of grass will be replaced with drought-tolerant landscaping. The State will create a program to provide rebates to those who want to replace their old appliances with energy-efficient models. Cemeteries, campuses and golf courses will be required to drastically cut water usage. New home owners will be prohibited against irrigating their outdoor spaces with potable water unless their homes have water-efficient drip systems. Watering “ornamental grass” on the median dividers on public streets will also be banned.
Signal Hill Public Works Director Steve Myrter told the Signal Hill City Council on April 7 that the State Water Resources Control Board is essentially responsible for implementing Brown’s restrictions. (See sidebar.)
“The governor issued this mandate, but it wasn’t clear how to impose it,” Myrter said last Tuesday, explaining that there is “no direction” on how the Board will restrict water retailers.
Officials in both cities already declared their programs to address the water shortage last year. Both cities already require that irrigation of outdoor areas take place on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. According to its website, Signal Hill reported that businesses and residents reduced water consumption by 10 percent, compared to the same time period from the previous year. Kaylee Weatherly, a spokesperson for the Long Beach Water Department, confirmed that the City is currently running about five percent below its 2013 level. She also noted that Long Beach officials are still “evaluating” what the Board’s plan will mean for the City.
There are projects that are meant to improve the green spaces in the City of Long Beach that may endure more scrutiny. On Wednesday afternoon, the City announced a joint project with Jane Addams Neighborhood Association and the Los Angeles Sparks organization to plant about 80 new trees near the Jane Addams Elementary School this Saturday, April 11.
I Dig Long Beach, a project funded by the Port of Long Beach, is meant to “improve air quality and watershed conditions in the city,” according to a media release from the Neighborhood Services Bureau of the City of Long Beach.
When asked whether the additional need for water to maintain the new trees would be inconsistent with the goal to reduce water usage, media spokesperson Jacqueline Medina confirmed in an email to the Signal Tribune that the trees are drought- tolerant.
One of the main Long Beach departments that will likely be affected by the new restrictions is the Department of Parks, Recreation & Marine. In a phone interview, Director George Chapjian highlighted several projects that are high on the priority list for water-conservation projects.
Heartwell Park has an antiquated watering system which requires an employee to walk the length of a mile to manually turn on and shut off the sprinklers. The department has received $2 million to update the watering system to an automated system controlled by computers. The project is in the design phase at this time.
Green spaces set aside for sports will also be affected. Chapjian said that five soccer fields will be converted from grass to AstroTurf. He estimated that this change could save about 800,000 gallons of water per year per field. The first soccer-field conversion should take place around September.
The department director acknowledged the challenge of maintaining the green spaces while conserving water resources. Many of the medians dividers along the streets do not have drought-tolerant landscaping and aren’t irrigated with a reclaimed-water system.
“But we are always looking for ways for conserving,” Chapjian said, adding later that the department will do its best to comply with Brown’s mandate. “Our concern is we have some mature trees in the medians, and not watering those may not be an option for us.”
Chapjian acknowledged that the details behind the governor’s mandates have not yet been released. “Once we totally understand what the mandates are!we’ll know what the impacts would be,” Chapjian said. “And we’ll try to mitigate those impacts as much as possible.” ß