Drought Actions

The primary source of water available to the Casitas Municipal Water District is the amount of water stored in Lake Casitas. There may be times when Casitas is required to implement staged water demand reductions to ensure a sustainable water supply and prevent the depletion of Lake Casitas. Casitas has assigned five stages of water storage in Lake Casitas that serve as a guide to proper implementation of water use reduction goals and measures. The overarching goal of the Staged Demand Reduction Program is to:

1. Conserve water supply for the greatest priority and public benefit; and
2. Mitigate the effects of a water shortage on public health, safety, and economic activity.

A critical element in Casitas’ program to curtail water demand during drought periods is the Water Allocation Program. This program is intended to cut water demand to manage the sustainability of the local water supply.

Water Allocation Program

Our Water Allocation Program provides an equitable way to distribute our limited local water supply, especially during drought conditions. Each of Casitas’ water services are metered and provided an allocation for a reasonable amount of water to meet customer needs and property characteristics. The following includes the guiding principles for Casitas’ water allocation program:

1. Each water service shall be assigned either a monthly or annual water allocation in terms of units and/or acre-feet.
2. An allocation is not an entitlement and does not imply water rights in favor of the customer.
3. The assignment of allocation is based on reasonable and necessary water use, the application of water conservation practices and standards, and other relevant factors associated with water use during Stage 1 conditions at Lake Casitas.
4. Casitas’ Board of Directors reserve the right to make individual allocation assignments and to change water allocations at any time within each classification based on the changes to the availability of water stored in Lake Casitas, changes in water use that appear to compromise the reliability of the Lake Casitas water supply, and changes in water conservation practices and standards.
5. Water allocations provided by Casitas are assigned to property or water purveyors and are not transferable from one property or water purveyor to another.
6. Casitas’ water allocations shall not be sold, exported, bartered or traded by or between Casitas’ customers.
7. Casitas water allocated shall not be transported from the property or by any agency served to any other property or agency without prior written agreement with Casitas.

Water allocation assignments to each and every water account were made by either:

1.  A written agreement, or
2. The application of historical water use data, or
3. The application of documented water standards.

Where deemed necessary by Casitas, a site specific water use audit and survey may be conducted to determine an appropriate level of allocation to be assigned to an account. Water allocations may change by action of Casitas’ Board of Directors based on the Lake Casitas storage level or trend, water use trends, and the performance by customer classification in meeting water consumption reduction goals.

Program Documents:

• Application for Allocation Adjustment
• Addendum To The Application For Water Service
• Adopted WEAP Report

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