by Timothy Rutt
Altadenans and residents of Pasadena, La Canada Flintridge, and La Crescenta are being asked to cut down on water use -- including outdoor watering -- while two water suppliers are completing repairs and upgrades, starting next week.
Altadena customers of Las Flores Water Company are being asked cut back on water use from Feb. 18 through March 1. Altadena residents who are supplied by the City of Pasadena are being asked to restrict water use from Feb. 21 through Feb. 28.
In Altadena, the Foothills Municipal Water District will be completing repairs and upgrades from Feb. 18-March 1. Foothilll services several water districts in La Canada Flintridge, La Crescenta, and Kinneloa Mesa, as well as Las Flores Water Co., Lincoln Avenue Water Co., and Rubio Canon Land & Water Association in Altadena. Only Las Flores customers will be affected by the shutdown, as Lincoln Avenue and Rubio Canyon says they have adequate reserves, according to Nina Jazmadarian of FMWD.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies FMWD, is asking residents to restrict water use for eight days from Thursday, Feb. 21, through Thursday, Feb. 28. MWD is upgrading the Upper Feeder line, one of the oldest pipelines, which delivers treated drinking water from MWD's treatment plant in LaVerne to foothill cities and communities from Pomona to Glendale.
The City of Pasadena, which takes water from Metropolitan, has already declared a Level 4 water shortage during the duration, which bans outdoor watering and requires other water use restrictions throughout the city.
Businesses are being asked to do their part to ensure adequate wage levels. Such water conservation steps include no outdoor watering, hand-washing vehicles, filling swimming pools or spas, or hosing down driveways and sidewalks.
Gardeners are being asked to delay new landscaping -- which typically requires continual watering to establish plants, shrubs, and trees -- until after the shut down. If the weather warms prior to the shutdown, residents may want to deep-root water plants to keep them healthy. Deep-root watering should be done before the shutdown begins Feb. 21.
Starting Feb. 14, residents can visit www. mwdh2o.com and www.bewaterwise.com for the latest information on the planned shutdown,as well as wearer-saving tips. During the shutdown, regular updates on upgrade work will be posted.
