At its April 25 meeting, the Triunfo Water & Sanitation District Board of Directors passed a resolution restricting customer outdoor water use to one day per week. The resolution is in response to a new Metropolitan Water District (MWD) directive to cities and water districts that receive their water supply from the State Water Project. The MWD is now requiring that these water purveyors implement the one-day-per-week outdoor watering restriction as a way to significantly reduce non-essential water use.
In early March, the California Department of Water Resources announced a reduced water allocation to 5 percent from the drought-ravaged State Water Project. Triunfo receives 100 percent of its water from the State Water Project via Calleguas Municipal Water District (which gets its water from MWD). On April 6, Calleguas declared a Stage 3 water shortage, requiring its water purveyors to reduce water consumption by 30 percent.
At its April 25 meeting, the Triunfo board amended its outdoor irrigation provisions from the current three days per week for March through November to one day per week.
The one-day-per-week outdoor watering resolution takes effect on June 1 and applies to Triunfo's nearly 14,000 Oak Park residential and business potable water users.
"We took this action due to the unprecedented three-year drought and the extreme water shortages the district is facing," says Leon Shapiro, Triunfo's board chair. "We know it's not what our customers want to hear, but faced with only a 5 percent water allocation and the MWD's directive, the board had to take urgent action."
According to the EPA, outdoor irrigation accounts for up to 70 percent of a family's daily water use. Customers are asked to voluntarily pick a day in the week to do their outdoor watering.
Customers are also encouraged to take advantage of water conservation rebates including high-efficiency toilets and clothes washers, smart irrigation controllers, soil moisture sensors, rain barrels and cisterns, and sprinkler nozzles, plus rebates on converting lawns to drought-tolerant landscapes.
For more information about rebates and water usage guidelines, go to www.triunfowsd.com.
About Triunfo Water & Sanitation District
Triunfo Water & Sanitation District provides sewage collection services and wastewater treatment, supplies potable water, and treats and sells recycled water in the southeastern portion of Ventura County, including the communities of Oak Park, Lake Sherwood, Bell Canyon, and the Westlake Village and North Ranch portions of Thousand Oaks. The district covers approximately 50 square miles and serves a population of about 33,000. Visit www.triunfowsd.com.
