Water Supply Update for Certified Agricultural Customers

Subject: Formal IAWP Supply Reduction Notification and Supporting Information

 

Dear IAWP Customer;

As anticipated, because of a supply shortage expected for 2008, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) has made the formal call for a 30% supply reduction to Interim Agricultural Water Program (IAWP) participants, beginning with water billings generated in January 2008.

IAWP Supply Reduction Information- To assist you in the implementation of this supply reduction, we are providing, enclosed, a number of informational items covering all aspects of the program, as follows:

PLEASE NOTE: January 2008 Water Bills Will Reflect December 2007 Usage

Water bills sent in January 2008 will cover from portions to all of December usage, depending on your billing cycle. PLEASE NOTE: Your November water bill will show both your December read date and your December allocation so that you can start monitoring your usage which will be billed under the IAWP Supply Reduction Program in January 2008.

Group Allocations

Growers interested in grouping meter allocations for multiple meters serving a single property or individual meters serving multiple properties under the same ownership should contact Debbie Tilley at 760-749-1600.

In Closing

In closing, we would like to emphasize a number of important points for your consideration as you prepare for the IAWP supply reduction:

  • IAWP customers have been provided a discount since 1994 because they are interruptible. Now that MWD is anticipating a supply shortage for 2008 and beyond, water provided by the IAWP reduction will help meet residential and commercial needs.

  • This water supply reduction is a result of court and regulatory action. A wet winter will not result in the reduction requirements being lifted.

  • This reduction will, in all likelihood, last beyond 2008, or until physical improvements are made to the State’s water supply systems to lift the flow restrictions imposed by the federal courts.

  • Valley Center MWD has no additional water to allocate. We have been allocated a fixed amount of water and MWD has provided no supply adjustments for loss of local supply, freeze impacts, new plantings, or other reason to request additional supplies.

  • Calling for supply reduction for residential and commercial users or stopping new development will not improve the situation for IAWP customers. In fact, if water supply conditions continue to deteriorate to the point where there are mandatory reductions for residential and commercial customers and new meter moratoriums, that will mean that the reduction level for agriculture will have been increased.

Please read the attached information carefully as it has been designed to cover all aspects of the IAWP Supply Reduction. If you still have unanswered questions, please plan on attending the public workshop on November 26 or one of the irrigator training sessions in December, or contact our offices at your earliest convenience. Contact names and information are enclosed.

Gary Arant

General Manager