Sacramento-Area Water Districts Demand Water Resources Board Change Drought Restrictions
PLACER COUNTY (CBS13) — Several Sacramento-area water districts have called the State Water Resources Control Board's restrictions unfair, and are demanding they use what they see as a more fair standard.
Placer County Water Agency is one of dozens of districts across the state to send harsh letters complaining about mandatory water cuts up to nearly 36 percent to meet the state's 25 percent goal.
The letters come on the heels of Monday's ruling by a district court of appeal that a tiered pricing system for water use is unconstitutional and goes against Proposition 218.
"It's our lot sizes and our climate that drive our number up," said Tony Firenzi with the Placer County Water Agency. "We pointed out issues of equity and trying to get recognition for conservation that we achieved last year, and also bringing up our regional climate and larger lot sizes."
The districts say the current plan by the board will end up undermining the 25 percent conservation mandate.
"We would like to see just a straight, across the board 25 percent conservation where everybody, sort of, has to equally has to bear the brunt of what's expected," Firenzi said.
While other districts, including Fair Oaks, call the 36 percent cuts "illegal and inequitable," Placer County wants the board to take regional climate factors into consideration before making a final decision about the cuts.
But with the deadline less than two weeks away, and the appellate court's ruling, water officials are bracing for a challenging chapter ahead.
