VENTURA : Council Relaxes Water Ordinance

The Ventura City Council on Monday night gave final approval to a long-awaited plan to relax its water-conservation ordinance, allowing residents to begin using more water starting May 7.

Under the plan, approved in a 6-1 vote, single-family residences will be allowed to use 392 gallons a day, up from the 294 daily allotment during the drought. Residents in apartment complexes will be allotted 245 gallons a day, up from 196. Councilman Jim Monahan voted against the ordinance.

The moratorium on non-residential water service connections will also be lifted, a move that council members hope will prompt businesses to expand.

In March, 1990, the City Council adopted water restrictions designed to cut consumption by 30%. But now residents have to shave only 10% from their 1989 water consumption levels to ensure enough water to meet demand, officials said.