Ramona Water District is a Step Ahead in Ending Drought

The governor’s official end to the statewide water drought on March 30 is catching up with what Ramona Municipal Water District officials did more than seven months ago.

“We’ve already basically done what the state is doing now,” RMWD Assistant General Manager David Barnum said. “What this did is essentially come from a Level 2 drought awareness down to a Level 1. RMWD had previously gone from 2 to 1, effective Aug. 1, 2010.”

Level 2 is mandatory water conservation, while Level 1 is voluntary water conservation, Barnum explained. Level 2 is a “drought alert” or awareness, while Level 1 is a “water watch.”

The statewide drought was declared in June 2008 by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and changed to a state of emergency in February 2009, according to news reports.

Barnum said it may be several months before the district will know if the lift on water conservation will have an effect on water usage locally, and whether or not there will be a need to increase water rates.

“We are a water retailer, so we buy our water from a water wholesaler,” Barnum said.

RMWD purchases water from the County Water Authority, which in turn buys it  from Metropolitan Water District.

“We have not heard if they have had any input on the cost of water,” Barnum said. “We haven’t heard, up or down.”

If rates necessitate a change locally, Barnum said, it will require approval from the RMWD Board of Directors. He estimated that action, if required, would not come before the board before July or August.

“At that point, we’ll do a rate study by an independent third party, then come back to the board for a workshop,” Barnum said.

RMWD has no restrictions on water allocation for residential customers. In past years, Level 2 placed time limits on when customers could water their yards, such as on certain days of the week and specific times of day.

“That was waived when we went back to Level 1,” Barnum said of the Aug. 1, 2010 change in water conservation.