The agency that supplies most of the water to San Diego County voted Tuesday to cut the amount of water available by 15 percent.
The Metropolitan Water District, which sells imported water to agencies serving millions of Californians, will reduce regional deliveries by 15 percent effective July 1.
The cuts in water allocation to local districts were approved by an MWD committee on Monday and the full board Tuesday. The move marks only the fourth time the MWD has cut back on supplying water.
The San Diego County Water Authority, a wholesale supplier of water to 24 local water agencies, gets the majority of its water from the MWD.
SDCWA spokesman Jason Foster said Tuesday's decision means there's going to be less water for agencies to buy and those agencies will need to come up with plans on how to stay within their individual allocations.
Cities and agencies that use more than their MWD allocation would have to pay punitive costs ranging from $1,480 to $2,960 per acre-foot of water. An acre-foot is roughly the amount of water needed to serve two households for a year.
"It certainly reinforces the need for people in San Diego County to cut nonessential water use as soon as possible," Foster said. "Drought conditions are getting worse by the day."
The cutbacks will start July 1 and would charge agencies that don't reduce deliveries enough to reach a 15 percent decrease. The board also agreed to revisit the issue in December and evaluate the situation.
As for what the cuts may mean for consumer rates, Foster said it's too preliminary to discuss that just yet.
Local
Agencies are anticipating a more refined version of the state's new mandatory water restrictions next week.
The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) received comments from regional water agencies and other stakeholders on Monday and will take action on a final plan in the beginning of May. Those regulations will take effect June 1.
The mandates will go directly to the local retail agencies, which could respond with new conservation regulations ranging from restricted lawn watering days to development restrictions, according to Stephen Heverly with the Equinox Center.
There could also be rate changes to incentivize more conservation, Heverly said.
The SDCWA is anticipating setting water rates for 2016 sometime in June.
San Diego County is not alone in figuring how to handle a smaller allocation of water.
As Gov. Jerry Brown mandates a 25 percent cut in water use across the state, the MWD will cut deliveries to member cities and water districts in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties as well.
