HUNTINGTON BEACH : City Defends Water Policies, Raps Critics

City officials, stung by criticism that they have dawdled on water conservation, lashed out at their critics Monday night and praised themselves for the city’s non-mandatory water-reduction program.

Louis Sandoval, the city’s director of public works, said critics were wrong in accusing the city of doing nothing about the water shortage. “The city has spent countless hours preparing for the drought,” he said.

Sandoval did not name the critics. But in recent days, some members of Save Our Parks and Huntington Beach Tomorrow have questioned the city’s water policies. They charged that relatively little has been done in Huntington Beach to conserve.

The conservation issue arose because some cities, including nearby Newport Beach, have announced mandatory cutbacks for residential water use. Huntington Beach is encouraging reductions in water usage, but it has not adopted any form of rationing.

Sandoval said the city does not need to go to rationing. He noted that 70% of the city’s water supply comes from underground wells. Only the 30% imported from the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District is at risk, Sandoval said. As of Monday night, the city had only been asked to absorb a 6% reduction in MWD water.

Sandoval said voluntary conservation last year resulted in a 7% decrease in city water use. “The staff has anticipated the drought,” he said.

City Councilman Don MacAllister also defended the city’s record on water conservation. “I think we’ve done a fantastic job,” he said.