City Committee Fails to Support Plan to Loosen Pasadena’s Water Restrictions

Members of the Municipal Services Committee voted 2-2 on the recommendation to implement Level 1 of the city’s Water Supply Shortage Plan and lift the temporary 15 percent voluntary water-use reduction target. 

Vice Mayor Felicia Williams and Councilmember Justin Jones voted for the recommendation while Councilmembers Tyron Hampton and Jason Lyon voted against it. 

Since August of 2021, Pasadena has been implementing conservation actions under Level 2 of the Water Supply Shortage Plan. It has also adopted a voluntary water reduction target of 15 percent, which aligns with the state’s reduction goal. 

The plan restricts outdoor watering to two days per week from April to October and one day per week from November to March. 

On March 24, Governor Gavin Newsom eased drought conditions following recent storms which brought record precipitation to California. 

The order includes ending the statewide voluntary 15 percent water conservation target and ending the requirement that local water agencies implement Level 2 of Water Supply Shortage Plan.

“With the recent significant improvement of water supplies in the State, staff recommends scaling back drought restrictions by moving to a Level 1 Water Supply Shortage Plan and lifting the temporary 15 percent water-use reduction goal,” the staff report reads. 

“Although conditions in the State improved, it is prudent to have an ongoing water supply shortage plan in effect, as in-region groundwater shortage and reservoirs on the Colorado River system remain severely stressed, and as California is vulnerable to extreme and variable weather,” it added. 

Under Level 1 Water Supply Shortage Plan, outdoor watering is restricted to three days per week from April through October and one day per week from November through March. 

“The current system is working,” said Lyon. “We should stick with it.” 

“We’re having a great year with a lot of water but we’re headed in drier direction so we maintain the status quo for the drier direction rather than going back and forth and being reactive.” 

“Maybe occasionally we say ‘please water your trees a lot for the next month’ but I don’t think we should go the other direction and say ‘we’re good’,” Lyon further added. 

Hampton also shared the same sentiments. 

“It’s just a lot of back and forth and it’s confusing,” said Hampton. 

“I personally think we should stay where we are at. I think our community is doing a good job at [conserving],” said Hampton. “I can’t support saying just because we have some rain, we are good, because we are not.” 

Typically, items not approved by a committee do not move forward to the City Council.

While the staff recommendation did not get the support of MSC, the item will move forward to the full Council per recommendation of the MSC.

“De facto, we should send it to the Council as opposed to de jure. I think we have made a recommendation here and that should go on the Council agenda,” said Williams, who is chair of the Committee.