Hawthorne Press Tribune The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - April 30, 2015 Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................2 Classifieds............................2 Community Briefs...............2 Finance..................................6 Food.......................................8 Hawthorne Happenings....3 Legals................................ 6-7 Looking Up...........................7 Pets........................................4 Police Reports.....................2 Seniors..................................3 Sports....................................5 Weekend Forecast Friday Partly Cloudy 73˚/57˚ Saturday Partly Cloudy 70˚/55˚ Sunday Sunny 70˚/55 Street Art Along the Rail Lines Taggers have made their marks on the stolid rail cars that service the manufacturers along Jack Northrup Avenue. Photo by Peter Thornton, jp.thornton58@gmail.com. Hawthorne Residents May Have to Step Up on Water Conservation By Brian Simon as well as consumption statistics, it is not In the wake of California’s continuing yet clear how that 16 percent target will be drought that has reached record proportions applied within each water utility customer-based coupled with Governor Jerry Brown’s recent jurisdiction in Hawthorne. We expect executive order to reduce water consumption, Hawthorne residents may soon be asked to further conserve their own usage of the precious commodity. The new decree from Sacramento calls for a 25 percent reduction goal statewide, with final approval expected by May 5 followed by official implementation on June 1. However the State Water Resources Control Board indicated that this level won’t be applied evenly across California, but will depend on levels of conservation achieved (or not) by individual cities. Those cities whose residents made inroads in cutting water consumption will be “credited”, but those falling short in their efforts will have to conserve even more than the 25 percent overall target benchmark. As it stands, required reduction ranges will fall between 10 and 35 percent and will be tied into a residential consumption allocation of 55 gallons per capita per day that meets basic indoor water use needs. Much of the overage is the result of landscape and irrigation watering, so curbing residential usage will be the State’s primary focus. Hawthorne customers use about 87 gallons of water per day on average, according to Public Works Director Arnie Shadbehr. This would put the city into a 20 percent conservation bracket. In contrast, a community with a residential average of over 165 gallons per day would need to cut usage by 35 percent, while those using less than 55 gallons would only have to conserve 10 percent. “Recent words from the State Water Resources Control Board have actually identified Hawthorne at a 16 percent conservation target,” Shadbehr said. “However, since two separate water utility companies operate within the boundary of Hawthorne and each has its own jurisdictional territory this to be clarified in early May.” After adopting a resolution declaring a drought emergency, the Hawthorne City Council passed a water conservation ordinance last fall with restrictions on washing down paved surfaces such as sidewalks, driveways and patios except when necessary for safety or if there is a sanitation hazard; limiting landscape watering to before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. only; stopping water waste from runoff, low head drainage or overspray; and allowing only a hand-held hose equipped with a positive shut-off nozzle or bucket to water landscaped areas. Some other notable provisions include a requirement to repair all water leaks within five day of notification by the City, offer guests at lodging establishments the option of not laundering towel and linens daily, serve/refill water in restaurants only upon patron request, and use recirculated water to operate ornamental fountains. The State mandate includes several key provisions not currently featured in Hawthorne’s ordinance, including restrictions on watering to no more than twice a week and not allowing water to be used for irrigation within 48 hours following measurable rainfall. The State will also prohibit watering of landscape medians with ornamental turf unless using recycled water, and will only allow drip irrigation or microspray for landscaping of newly constructed homes. And while the City does limit the hours during which residents may water their lawns, there is no per-station time limit to monitor the duration (not a State requirement at this point). “We will know more when the Water Board and Public Utilities Commission propose/adopt the specifics of the new regulations, which we expect to happen soon,” Shadbeher said of any imminent actions by the City Council to revise the municipal code to address water consumption. “For now, the preliminary conservation targets for the City of Hawthorne system that we adopted last October should be covered by the existing ordinance.” The State’s emergency declaration also gives the City the right to fine individual offenders up to $500 for violations. While the State can also issue cease and desist orders and even impose fines of $10,000 per day on the cities themselves for non-compliance, Shadbehr said he does not believe Hawthorne will be in danger of such extreme measures due to its strong conservation record. “Through various public works improvement projects over the past several years, we connected almost 90 percent of our parks and public landscaped area irrigation systems to reclaimed water lines,” he said. “Total consumption of reclaimed water in Hawthorne is also close to 41 million gallons annually.” Meanwhile, Shadbehr advised residents to access information from their water utility company by referring to their water bills and contacting the toll-free number or checking the website address. Half of the Hawthorne customers are served by California Water Service Company and the other half by Golden State Water Company. Both agencies provide conservation tips as well as updates on available incentives and rebates. Among other residential programs, rebate possibilities exist for high-efficiency toilets and clothes washers, smart controllers that regulate sprinklers by sensing weather patterns, and turf removal—an increasingly popular option. Citizens may also find additional ideas on how to reduce water usage by 20 percent (30 gallons per day) via westbasin.org. Reducing outdoor watering results in the most dramatic savings, though practices such as washing only full loads of laundry and dishes, cutting shower times and turning off water while brushing teeth or shaving all add up. •
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