Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD) customers need to be aware of the current regional water supply situation, the policies and conservation measures LVMWD has implemented to address water shortage and the process by which customers may appeal their bimonthly budgets in cases where hardships may rise from the allocation program. Since 2007, state and regional water supplies have been reduced by several developments that have impacted water supplies to southern California in general and LVMWD in particular:
• Judicial pumping restrictions in the California Delta to protect threatened species. • Three years of unusually dry conditions in the western Sierras, reducing State Water Project volumes. • Reductions in stored supplies to compensate for reduced State Project water and increased water demand. • A steadily increasing population in southern California.
Governor’s Statewide Drought Declaration – As a result of these severe supply conditions, the Governor proclaimed a statewide drought and issued an Executive Order directing actions to deal with the crisis. The Executive Order encourages local water districts and agencies to promote water conservation. They are encouraged to work cooperatively on the regional and state levels to implement significant actions to reduce water consumption.
California Department of Water Resources – For 2010, The California Department of Water Resources has allocated only 50 percent of the amounts requested by agencies served by the State Water Project.
Metropolitan Water District Water Supply Alert – The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) Board of Directors followed the Governor’s drought declaration, by adopting an allocation program to its member agencies to help preserve the region’s water storage reserves. Las Virgenes Municipal Water District is entirely dependent upon Metropolitan for its potable water supply; there are no local potable water sources in the District.
For more information concerning LVMWD's response to the water shortage, please read the district's Water Shortage Response Plan (PDF - 72 KB).
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