Video Transcript:

GLORIA PENNER (Host): As state lawmakers work to redesign California's water delivery system, Mayor Jerry Sanders announces on Thursday that San Diegans will not need to cut back their lawn watering to one day a week this winter as originally planned. San Diegans have actually conserved more than the city expected, so residents will be able to continue watering three days a week. All of this could change next spring depending on how much water is allocated to the city next April. We put Jim Barrett, director of public utilities for the city of San Diego on the record about why the city has backed off on its water restriction plans for the winter.

JIM BARRETT (Director of Public Utilities, City of SD): The county water authority was asking us to cut back 8%, and we've averaged about 12%. So its been very successful and we don't feel we need to tighten up any more than we already are.
	What we're going to do this winter is, basically, allow people to continue watering three days a week. We're asking that they set their timers back from ten minutes to seven minutes. Initially, the ordinance required people to cut their watering to one day a week, but council just approved the change.

PENNER: So joining me now to talk about water and the mayor's actions are Leslie Wolf Brandscomb, editor of San Diego Uptown News, and J.W. August, managing editor of 10 News. J.W., what do you think about the city's plan to allow residents to continue watering three days a week? Seven minutes instead of ten, but still three days a week during the winter?

J.W. AUGUST (10 News): I think we did a good job and we should be proud of that, but I think also it's a case of unintended consequences because they're not collecting as much money as they were on water fees. So the income is less coming into the city. I don't think they anticipated we'd do this well.

PENNER: Do you think, Leslie, that this is the best and the fairest way to enforce the need for water conservation? This lawn watering concept?

LESLIE BRANDSCOMB (San Diego Uptown News): Well I believe that it should be voluntary. I'm one of those people who thinks we can do it on our own. Already the citizens have responded well and we should be allowed to have the chance to recognize that we just need to change the way that we live. We need to consume less water - that's an absolute fact - and we need to retrain ourselves to do that. I'd rather see that take place than mandatory conservation which just puts people in a position of being defensive against the government.

PENNER: But now we've sort of gotten used to the idea of cutting back on our water. Look how well we conserved. What would be the most forward looking plan to say, ok we live in an arid area.

BRANDSCOMB: Well, frankly I would like to see us not be dependent on imported water at all if that's even possible. That would mean further cutbacks. But I think there's a lot we can do with desalination, particularly down at the border. That's been tried, but not so successfully. So far we haven't had a market for that water. But we need to start thinking of different sources, different ways to deal with the water we already have.

PENNER: And what would you like to see as the best way to handle the local water shortages?

AUGUST: Well I do think the idea that's been floated about the tiered system, a billing system. Look at each individual property involved and see how many people are there and how much land they have to water, and determine a fair rate. The more water you use, the more you pay.

PENNER: Ok well this is local, but something else is going on at the state level. They're trying...

AUGUST: Holy cow, yeah.

PENNER: At the state level to come up with legislation to redesign the whole way that water is delivered to the whole state, and also preserve the environment and the delta. So far, what are the main points of contention?

AUGUST: Well this is major major. We're talking about water, which is the lifeblood of California. And all the heavy hitters are up there in Sacramento. Darrell Steinberg, the democratic boss in the senate, is the guy that drove this. And he has different elements in the community - environmentalist, the water guys, interested parties, the farmers - they're actually going to move through some legislation that would rethink the policies of water. They're not talking about the money to get it done, they're only talking about the policy and the hope for efficiency that comes with it.

PENNER: But there is a lot of money involved in getting it done. What is it, a nine billion dollar bond issue?

AUGUST: At the least. What's going on is the water districts are going to look for ways to make us pay for it. Metropolitan Water District, which really supports this and is out of LA and we're a member of, is talking and it's going to cost us 10% or 12% more on our bills to pick up the tab to make this think happen.

PENNER: Even within the Metropolitan Water District there are factions. You have the inland areas like San Bernadino that say hey, we're drier that the costal areas so we don't go for all this conservation because we're really going to get dried out.

BRANDSCOMB: Well and there are also different political interests, special interests. There's agriculture, there are the people living along the coast maybe having a more affluent lifestyle that involves swimming pools and golf courses, and then there are environmentalists who are concerned about issues involving the Sacramento Delta. So there are so many things to consider. Bringing it all together, the people do have different interests. We need to learn to work together.

PENNER: So how successful do you think we'll be in actually redesigning the plan, considering what's been going on in Sacramento these past few years?

BRANDSCOMB: I think it will take longer than is reasonable, but we do have to do it. we just have to eventually get there. I imagine there will be starts and stops and a lot of zigzags along the way, but it's just some thing as a region that we have to do. we can't live without water. We need to learn how to live with what we have and how to use it wisely.