The water level in the Thompson Reservoir was 494 acre feet as of July 18, according to Ben Harvey, Southern California Edison’s region manager for public affairs.
For those of you unfamiliar with the term, imagine an acre of land. Now imagine that acre submerged in water 1 foot deep. That’s an acre foot.
On July 11, the water level was 503 acre feet—a drop of 7 acre feet in seven days.
“It’s rapidly dropping,” Harvey said.
The water level in the Thompson Reservoir was 494 acre feet as of July 18, according to Ben Harvey, Southern California Edison’s region manager for public affairs.
For those of you unfamiliar with the term, imagine an acre of land. Now imagine that acre submerged in water 1 foot deep. That’s an acre foot.
On July 11, the water level was 503 acre feet—a drop of 7 acre feet in seven days.
“It’s rapidly dropping,” Harvey said.
“We have not received a rainfall in some time,” Harvey said.
The June Harbor Activity Report said there were zero inches of rain last month.
Catalina is currently under Stage 1 water restrictions. Stage 2 restrictions, which would limit the specific volume of water businesses and residents could use, would become mandatory if the water level drops below 300 acre feet.
According to Harvey, Edison representatives recently came to the Island to distribute literature on water conservation.
Harvey said visitors need to be aware of the need to conserve water.
“Historically, we have gone through drought cycles on the Island,” Harvey said.
However, he also said that historically, Islanders have been good at conserving water.
The numbers are a reminder of a fact well-known to Islanders and understood by most visitors: everyone needs to conserve water.
That’s why Catalina is currently under Stage 1 water restrictions. Stage 1 became mandatory on May 7, when the Thompson Reservoir water measured 582 acre feet. The California Public Utilities Commission sets the standard for water restrictions and Stage 1 become mandatory once the reservoir level dropped below the minimum 600 acre foot mark.
By June 20, the reservoir’s water level had dropped to 527 acre feet.
The Avalon City Council on July 16 introduced an ordinance that updates the municipal code to be consistent with PUC water regulations—which the state calls “tariffs” even though no taxes or fees are involved. The ordinance will likely return for a “second reading,” meaning approval, at the Aug. 6 City Council meeting.
Under the Stage 1 restrictions, the rules for water use regulate the washing of cars and boats; restaurants do not automatically provide customers with a glass of water, watering landscapes is allowed from 7 to 9 a.m., and from 5 to 7 p.m.
Catalina was last under Stage 1 water restrictions from December 2007 to January 2011.
Fixed rations of water would be imposed if Avalon entered Stage 2 rationing, which would become mandatory if the reservoir level drops below 300 acre feet. In Stage 3, the water ration would be cut in half. In Stage 4, the ration would be cut down to 25 percent.
A poll on the Catalina Islander website asked if Stage 1 water restrictions were too strict. The response:
Yes—17 percent.
No—58 percent.
Not strict enough—25 percent.
