Council approves fees for excessive water use, authorizes continuation of lawn rebate program
– At Tuesday night’s Paso Robles City Council meeting, in order to comply with the Governor’s mandatory water conservation order, an ordinance establishing excessive water use penalties was introduced and approved by the council. The council also approved the funding of an additional $36,000 to go to the city’s lawn and landscape rebate program.
The new fees are for residences with water use that exceeds the following:
- 25 units monthly (One unit = 748 gallons; 25 units = 18,700 gallons) will be charged an additional $10 per unit (for each unit used in excess of 25)
- 50 units monthly will be charged an additional $20 per unit (for each unit used in excess of 50)
For businesses, landscape water use that exceeds the mandated 19-percent reduction will be charged an additional $25 per unit.
In April, Governor Brown issued an executive order calling for further mandatory reductions in urban water use. Paso Robles is required to reduce total water use by 28-percent compared to 2013 usage. Since 2013, the city has reduced its water use, however a 19-percent reduction from last year’s usage will be necessary to meet the mandated level of reduction.
This equates to an average reduction of 1.4 million gallons per day (MGD) for the summer months and 0.5 MGD for the winter months.
In May the council adopted an ordinance that enhanced the irrigation restrictions defined in the city’s Water Shortage Contingency Plan. The community has responded with lower water usage compared to 2014, however, water demand is beginning to trend upward, and the city may not achieve its mandated target for the month.
If implemented in a timely manner, the proposed ordinance may provide the additional incentive needed to achieve the required demand reduction, according to the staff report presented at the meeting.
In another water-saving effort, the council also approved additional funding to be used for the city’s lawn rebate program.
The landscape rebate program promotes long-term outdoor water conservation. For each 1,000 square feet of turf converted to low-water-use landscaping, outdoor water use can be reduced by over 20,000 gallons per year. Participation in the rebate programs has nearly tripled since 2010.
On May 5, city council approved allocation of an additional $50,000 for water conservation rebates which allowed continuation of the rebate programs funded. To keep pace with the increasing participation in the rebate programs, the council voted Tuesday to increase the funding by $36,000.
I use less water when my son is away at school. So when he comes home I will use more water. So the city will now penalized me for letting him take showers?
We are troubled too. We host exchange students and add cultural exchange experiences… We are not paid for this, but we may be penalized for adding a person to our home.
After receiving a 100$ plus water bill , I turned off all out door water. Now let me see the next bill!!
Time to get rid of the MAIN WATER GUZZLERS. WE ALL know who that is, don't we? Wine or Water? Which is the choice for Paso?
Can you participate in the Landscape Rebate program if you are county? Or must you be in Paso Robles "proper."
Do you even live in Paso? Wine is the major industry here, get rid of it and a trickle down effect, all the way to daycare workers or grocery store clerks … will be impacted. Wine supports evey other industry in our community in many ways.
Jennifer Holmes The wineries are in the county and pay taxes to the county, not a penny to the city, and when the groundwater is gone, they will pack up and move on, leaving Paso in the dust.. We don't need new vineyards and new plantings during this drought, do we?
I use less water when my son is away at school. So when he comes home I will use more water. So the city will now penalized me for letting him take showers?
We are troubled too. We host exchange students and add cultural exchange experiences… We are not paid for this, but we may be penalized for adding a person to our home.
After receiving a 100$ plus water bill , I turned off all out door water. Now let me see the next bill!!
Time to get rid of the MAIN WATER GUZZLERS. WE ALL know who that is, don't we? Wine or Water? Which is the choice for Paso?
Can you participate in the Landscape Rebate program if you are county? Or must you be in Paso Robles "proper."
Do you even live in Paso? Wine is the major industry here, get rid of it and a trickle down effect, all the way to daycare workers or grocery store clerks … will be impacted. Wine supports evey other industry in our community in many ways.
Jennifer Holmes The wineries are in the county and pay taxes to the county, not a penny to the city, and when the groundwater is gone, they will pack up and move on, leaving Paso in the dust.. We don't need new vineyards and new plantings during this drought, do we?