The greenest lawn in El Monte may well be the patch of grass in front of City Hall.
At a time when state water officials are urging residents to allow their lawns fade to gold or offering rebates to tear them out, El Monte's city-operated water utility has yet to reduce the number of days residents can water because of severe drought.
While three other water agencies that serve portions of the San Gabriel Valley city have limited lawn watering to just two days a week — shriveling grass and saving water in the process — El Monte's municipal water operation has been listed among the six worst-conserving suppliers in the state.
Instead of achieving a state-mandated 8% water reduction, El Monte missed that target by 17 million gallons in June, or almost 23 percentage points, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
As a result, state water officials plan to contact the agency to discuss corrective actions. If problems persist, the city could face fines of $500 to $10,000 a day, officials say.
On Friday, however, City Manager Jesus Gomez defended El Monte's performance. He said its customers use less water per capita than surrounding communities, adding, "residents are conserving."
Nevertheless, neighborhoods that fall within the city's water district have noticeably greener lawns than those served by the privately owned water utilities of Golden State Water Co., San Gabriel Valley Water Co. and California American Water.