SAWR Water Supply Reduction Implementation Plan
Valley Center Municipal Water District
SAWR Water Supply Reduction
Implementation Plan
July 2010
Notice – Mandatory Water Use Restrictions of 13%, will continue until your meter reading in June 2011. Due to the below normal snow pack and rainfall and environmental and species related pumping restrictions placed on the State Water Project, the Metropolitan Water District (“MWD”) has continued the mandatory conservation of 13%, that initiated in July 2009. The following policies will be used to implement the required water use reductions:
Methodologies for Administering, Monitoring and Verifying Reduction
Month to month water allocations will be made on a per account basis, with monthly allocations determined by factoring the required percentage reductions on usage in the July 2006 through June 2007 base year.
►Each SAWR account will be provided a print-out of its respective monthly water usage allocations prior to the effective start date of the reduction program.
►As with the IAWP Reduction Program, each SAWR Combination Ag-Domestic account will be provided a minimum allocation of 26 units per month.
►The District’s billing format will reflect the allocation for the specific month and the amount of usage over and under the monthly allocation.
►Usage under the monthly allocation shall be deemed “allocation carry over” which can roll forward to offset over-usage in successive months of the 2010-2011 program, which ends with your meter reading in June 2011. However, credits remaining at the end of the 2010-2011 program (i.e., those appearing on the June 2011 water bill) cannot be rolled forward into a subsequent program, if one is implemented.
►Water usage over the monthly allocations will be billed at the regular rate, plus the effective penalty rates as follows:
First 26 Units of Minimum Allocation and Additional Usage Up to the Full Monthly Allocation – Combination Ag–Domestic Accounts: Water will be billed at the current regular rate of $2.5680 per HCF up to 26 HCF and then $2.2623 for each HCF thereafter up to the monthly allocation. One Acre Foot is 435.6 HCF, or 325,830 gallons.
Usage At or Under the Specific Allocation – All Agricultural Usage – Water will be billed at the current rate of $2.2623 per HCF or $985.46 per Acre Foot (AF).
Usage up to 15% Above the Allocation: water will be billed at the then current regular rate plus the MWD penalty rate of 2 times (2X) the Tier II wholesale rate, or $4.9896 per HCF (i.e.; $2.2623 regular rate plus $2.7273 MWD penalty rate), or $2173.47 per AF.
Usage Greater than 15% Above the Allocation, water will be billed at the then current regular rate plus an MWD penalty charge of 4 times (4X) the MWD Tier II wholesale rate, or $7.7168 per HCF (i.e.; $2.2623 regular rate plus $5.4545 MWD penalty rate), or $3361.44 per Acre Foot.
Please Note: Rates and Over-use Penalties are based on rates in effect as of the publication of this document and are subject to change.
►Penalties paid can be earned back with conservation in subsequent months of the 2010–2011 program. However, penalties paid but not earned back at the end of the 2010-2011 program (i.e., those appearing on the June 2011 water bill) cannot be earned back with under usage in a subsequent program, if one is implemented.
► SAWR Accounts under the same ownership or leasehold may be grouped into one master account to track over or under usage against the group total allocation, allowing accounts to move water allocation among accounts and properties under their ownership.
►In cases of SAWR accounts repeatedly and/or flagrantly exceeding monthly allocations, the District has the authority to impose additional fines, penalties, or, in extreme cases, flow-restrict the associated meter as follows:
First Violation – If, at the end of any two consecutive billing cycles, an SAWR account or SAWR account group usage is 15% or more above the cumulative allocation and accumulated usage credits for that two month period, the SAWR account or account group will pay the applicable penalty rate for the over usage and receive a Notice and warning by phone call and registered letter stating that if the account is still above the cumulative allocation at the end of the third month, or Warning Month, then effective with the start of the fourth month, the individual account meter or meters for the account group will be flow restricted to 50% of the meter design flow for the next 30 calendar days.
If, at the end of the fourth month, the usage is at or under the cumulative allocation for the preceding four months, the flow restrictor will be removed at the beginning of the fifth month. If, at the end of the fourth month, the usage remains over the cumulative allocation for the preceding four months, the flow restrictor will remain in place until a subsequent account billing demonstrates that the cumulative usage for all preceding months is at or under the cumulative allocation.
Second Violation - If in any subsequent month, an SAWR account or SAWR account group having previously been flow restricted under the provisions of the SAWR Reduction Implementation Plan again exceeds the usage allocation and accumulated usage credits by 15% or more, the account or account group will pay the penalty rate for over usage and receive Notice and warning by phone and registered letter. If, at the end of the Warning Month, the cumulative consumption for the month in which the allocation was exceeded and the consumption for the warning month is still above the cumulative allocation for the two-month period, then the individual meter or account group meters will be flow restricted to 50% of the meter design flow until a subsequent account billing demonstrates that the cumulative usage for all preceding months is at or under the cumulative allocation.
Third Violation – If, in a subsequent month after the second violation, usage exceeds the allocation and accumulated usage credits by 15% or more for that period, then the 50% design flow restriction will be implemented without warning for the duration of the reduction program.
Over Usage Penalties/Flow Restriction Summary
Usage Level
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Response No Action; Usage credit rolled forward |
Response- No action |
Response Base and Penalty rate for usage up to 15% over Allocation: SAWR-4.3863*/HCF;
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Response Base and Penalty rate for usage greater than 15% over allocation: SAWR-$6.8106*;
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Response- Pay penalty rate; Warning of flow restriction |
Response Pay penalty; Meter restricted at 50% design flow until total usage meets cumulative allocation |
Response Penalty; Meter Restricted at 50% design flow for the balance of Reduction Program |
Under allocation |
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At allocation |
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Exceeds allocation & accumulated credits by up to 15% |
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Exceeds allocation and accumulated credits by more than 15% |
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Exceeds allocation & accumulated credits by ≥15% for 2 consecutive months |
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Exceeds allocation and accumulated credits by ≥15% for 3 consecutive months |
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Exceeds allocation & accumulated credits by ≥15% 2nd occurrence same account/acct. group |
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Exceeds allocation & credits by ≥15% second consecutive month, 2nd occurrence same account/acct. group |
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Exceeds allocation by ≥15%, 3rd occurrence, same acct./acct. group. |
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Appeals
District accounts may appeal program implementation provisions and decisions made by VCMWD staff:
► Decisions made by staff can be appealed and addressed to the Director of Finance, or his designee. All appeals shall be filed within 15 calendar days of the date of the provision or decision being appealed. The Director of Finance shall then have 30 calendar days to render a written decision on the appeal.
► Decisions by the Director of Finance may be appealed to the General Manager, or his designee, within 15 calendar days of the date of the decision by the Director of Finance. The General Manager shall then have 30 calendar days to render a written decision to the appeal.
► All decisions by the General Manager may be appealed to the Board of Directors. Requests for appeals to the Board shall be made in writing and will be placed on an agenda for review and action at a subsequent meeting of the Board. The decision by the Board shall be final.
During the appeal process, all implementation provisions and staff decisions under appeal shall remain in full effect until the conclusion of the appeal process.
PLEASE BE ADVISED – THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL SAWR WATER AVAILABLE FOR INCREASED ALLOCATIONS.
District Contacts
For additional information, please feel free to contact:
Gary Arant
General Manager
Debbie Tilley
Consumer Services Supervisor
William Jeffrey
Director of Finance
Phone Number: (760) 749-1600