The Ojai Valley in Ventura County relies solely on local water sources, but in light of a continued dry spell and concerns over future supplies, it’s looking at several options to diversify.
Lake Casitas is only 37 percent full, but according to Russ Baggerly, a board director with the Casitas Municipal Water District (CMWD), the area’s largest supplier, it holds enough water for about five years.
The Ojai Valley is one of many communities across California looking to diversify their portfolios to cope with the expected impacts of climate change on water resources.
At present, the city is supplied by two sources: groundwater and Lake Casitas, with a 237,761 acre-foot capacity.
The Ojai Valley has several small water agencies and farmers who rely on groundwater while the CMWD controls the water in Lake Casitas.
The city’s water system gets about a quarter of its supply from Lake Casitas and the rest from groundwater.
The first entails using imports from the State Water Project (SWP) through a connection via Calleguas Municipal Water District’s system.
Merckling noted that conservation has the capacity to save at least as much water as the SWP connection and the Matilija Formation project.