Reservoir water level decreases to 588 acre feet

An acre foot of water is enough water to submerge 1 acre of flat land one foot deep in water. The illustration above compares an acre foot of water to a football field. Artwork courtesy Catalina Islander staff

Level triggers Stage 1 conservation

The Middle Ranch Reservoir water level has decreased to the point that triggers Stage 1 water restrictions.

It won’t happen immediately, because Southern California Edison has to take a few steps. (Visitors may not know that Avalon’s water utility is owned by the electric company.)

“As of June 6, 2022 the current water elevation at Middle Ranch Reservoir is 653.84 feet above sea level. This equates to a storage capacity of 588.90 acre-feet,” according to a June 8 email from Edison.

For readers who don’t speak the language of water supply, an acre foot of water is enough water to submerge 1 acre of flat land 1-foot deep in water.

In Avalon, Stage 1 water conservation starts when the Middle Ranch Reservoir water level decreases to 600 acre feet (or less) of water.

Luke Schoener, of Southern California Edison, told the City Council this Wednesday, that the June 6 water level measure measurement triggers Stage 1 water conservation.

“In order to implement, we will be coming back to share more information,” Schoener said.

“So we will be filing an advice letter to the CPUC [California Public Utilities Commission],” Schoener said.

“We’ll be sending notifications to the customers on what is happening and what Stage 1 means, what the conservation measures are, and when we will be holding a public meeting,” he said.

Schoener said that Edison has requested an item on the July 19 council agenda.

Because that will be more than a month away, he said Edison would return to the second council meeting in June to get the information out sooner.