The January rains that swept across Southern California caused damage in some parts of the state, but for Catalina Island residents and businesses, it brought welcome relief from drought and five months of mandatory water conservation.

The rainfall increased the Middle Ranch Reservoir’s water level to 70% capacity in January. The reservoir’s level determines the state of the island’s water supply and the need to conserve water.

On the island, Southern California Edison provides electric, water and gas service to about 4,100 year-round residents and more than 1 million visitors annually. This month, SCE submitted an advice letter to the California Public Utilities Commission indicating that current water levels make it possible for the island to exit Stage 1 mandatory conservation, per the utility’s conservation and rationing plan.

Stage 1 includes limiting water use for businesses such as hotels and restaurants and restricting landscape watering and drinking water for other purposes.

“As Avalon approaches our busy season, businesses, hotels and restaurants will be relieved their patrons won’t have to experience fresh water usage restrictions,” said Anni Marshall, mayor of Avalon. “Nevertheless, I encourage all of us to continue voluntary conservation of this precious resource.”

“We appreciate how hard the community works to reduce its water use, especially during drought conditions,” said Ron Hite, SCE’s senior manager for Catalina Island.

Stage 1 mandatory conservation is no longer in effect; however, the company is asking that islanders continue their conservation efforts voluntarily.

“With the reservoir substantially replenished and Catalina’s desalination facility continuing to achieve peak production, we can now safely remove mandatory conservation for island customers, consistent with our utility tariffs,” said Frank Beach, SCE’s senior supervisor of water and gas utilities on Catalina.

The reservoir has a capacity of 1,054 acre-feet. An average California household uses between one-half and one acre-foot (about 326,000 gallons) of water per year for indoor and outdoor use.

The declining reservoir level triggered mandatory conservation measures last summer, reaching a low of 41% capacity in mid-December. Those mandatory measures have now been lifted. The last time the island exited mandatory conservation was in January 2019, after more than five years of mandatory water conservation and rationing.

SCE estimates that with the amount of ground moisture on Catalina, the reservoir level will continue to increase in the coming weeks and months. Even with increased temperatures and little precipitation during the summer, the company forecasts it would be at least a year before the reservoir level could drop enough for water conservation measures to be needed again.