Point Reyes Light - September 6, 2001

Stinson water supplies draining away

By Gregory Foley

Acting on a directive from district directors, the general manager of Stinson Beach Water District last week issued a voluntary-water-conservation notice to the 703 homes and businesses it serves.

In a notice posted Friday by General Manager Richard Dinges, the district declared a "Stage Two" alert, which asks that all Stinson Beach residents and vacation property owners reduce the amount of water they use in irrigating lawns and gardens by half.

Directors on Aug. 25 told Dinges to initiate the alert in response to decreasing water reserves and reduced flows in local creeks.

The order will remain in effect indefinitely and may be escalated to a critical "Stage Three" alert – which prohibits all landscape irrigation – if compliance is poor and water reserves continue to decrease, Dinges noted.

Director Elizabeth Sapanai said that the district has been struggling to refill its storage tanks after each weekend when thousands of weekenders and visitors are in town and greatly increase water consumption.

Using too much water

"We’re using more water than we’re producing," she said. "It sometimes takes until mid-week for us to get our tanks full again."

Sapanai added that it is critical for storage tanks to be filled promptly after they are drawn down to ensure an adequate supply and to have water available to fight fires. "The fire hazard is the biggest concern," she said.

Tourists a problem

In the public notice, Dinges said that warm weather and a large number of visitors in town last August "severely impacted" the district’s raw water supply in local creeks, which are running well-below their average flows.

"The production of water at the treatment plant cannot continue to be used for landscape irrigation at the current rate of consumption, without severely depleting supplies," he noted.

Although the conservation order is voluntary, Dinges said that district staff over the next several months will monitor landscape watering throughout town and will spot-check random locations to determine compliance.

Sapanai said she anticipates customers will comply with the voluntary order and noted that compliance on weekends will be especially important to maintaining reserves. "We hope that this is enough to solve our problems," she said.

Park Service helps

The Park Service – which owns and manages a portion of Stinson Beach and most of the surrounding lands – announced this week it has already implemented conservation measures for its facilities in town.

Roger Scott, a spokesman for the Park Service, said Tuesday that in response to reduced creek flows and several incidents of fish kills that have resulted, the agency turned off all but one drinking fountain and outdoor spigot in Stinson Beach Park. In addition, water pressure has been turned down in the park’s bathrooms, and several showers and faucets have been turned all the way off, he said.

Point Reyes Light Cover | News | Coastal Traveler