Updated August 24 2021
ORDER TO CEASE DIVERSIONS PURSUANT TO PERMIT 21323
The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) has ordered us to reduce our water consumption to the minimum amount of water necessary for human health and safety, and no more than 55 gallons a day per person. We can no longer water grass or garden beds, wash vehicles, fill swimming pools, pressure wash, etc.
Click links below to download:
Letter sent to members on August 24th
Full text of letter we received from the State Water Resources Control Board
New (August 27): Guide to Reading your Water Meter (click to download PDF)
ACMWC has been notified by the California State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water (DDW) to prepare for drought impacts. The notice points out that the first half of 2021 was the fourth driest on record, and warns:
“These conditions may contribute to reduced yield from your ground and/or surface water supply sources, challenges with water quality, and difficulties in meeting normal system demands resulting in water shortages or low pressure during peak demand periods, such as those that normally occur in the late summer and early fall months. “
Our water source is an underground stream that runs below Austin Creek. It is replenished by rainwater that soaks through the ground. When the spring rains end, the water level drops until the rain returns in the fall. The chart below shows that this year the water level in our well started dropping earlier and has already dropped further than the lowest level last year.
Although we are hopeful that we will get through the summer and fall without interruptions to our water supply, we need to prepare for the possibility that our well might not keep pace with our demand. If that happens, we will be forced to cut water consumption to a minimum. The DDW recommends lining up alternative sources of water, but that is easier said than done. When our well pump failed last March, we found that companies that deliver water by truck are not a good alternative because they have little spare capacity beyond the obligations of their long-term contracts. If the drought affects other wells in our area, we will all be competing for those limited water deliveries. Not to mention that even in normal times, the cost of delivering water is at least 15 times higher than the rate ACMWC currently charges.
We have taken steps to make our system less vulnerable to droughts. When the pump in our well failed last March, we replaced it with a pump with a lower flow rate that is less likely to outpace our well. We adjusted our system to maintain a reserve of at least 75% in both storage tanks. We now continuously monitor water levels in both tanks, which should warn us if our well falls behind the demand for water.
ACMWC will continue preparations for drought and fire season. However, we also need to find ways to reduce our individual water consumption. Aside from the effects of the drought, we are fast approaching the limits of how much water we are permitted to use: 9,235 gallons in a single day and 3,259,00 gallons for the year. The chart below shows how our annual usage has increased by about 10% over the past 3 years.
In pre-drought years, our rate of water usage increased in June and stayed high through October. However, this year the increase began in April.
For the month of May, we averaged 8,767 gallons per day, or 95% of the amount we are permitted to use each day. The sharpest increase in water usage was from the upper tank. Relative to a baseline of January of this year, the rate of water drawn from the upper tank increased by 110% in April and by about 50% for the lower tank.
