Mother Nature is getting a lot of the credit for helping Thousand Oaks meet its water allocation and avoid a fine of $4 million.

Metropolitan Water District, the regional water supplier, last year told Calleguas Municipal Water District, which supplies water to Thousand Oaks and nearby communities, to establish a water allocation program.

Thousand Oaks was required to lower water consumption by 15 percent for the year beginning July 1, 2009. It appears likely the city has done so and thus avoided the $4-million fine, which would have been passed on to customers.

The winter weather was wetter than in years past.

City officials imposed water use restrictions that are still in force. Residents must continue to follow the city ordinance that limits how often they can water their lawns, how quickly water leaks must be repaired and what kind of nozzle must be used to wash a car at home. Washing hard or paved surfaces isn’t allowed.

More drought-resistant native plants have been used. Restaurant waiters stopped automatically bringing water to customers. Hotels gave guests the option of declining fresh linens.

The city created a hotline at (805) 375-5747 for residents to report others who disobey the water conservation laws.

Those restrictions seem to have paid off. The water district is expected to impose the same limit this year. That means the city will be allocated the same amount of water this year as it was last year.

In June, city public works director Mark Watkins warned residents that water consumption was right at the limit.

Now, both Watkins and Calleguas Water District manager Eric Bergh said it appears that Thousand Oaks didn’t surpass its limit and could even be 1-2 percent under the requirement.

The Metropolitan Water District is tallying the numbers at this time and is expected to announce the results in August.

Bergh said he thinks all of Calleguas customers in the area that includes Simi Valley, Moorpark and Camarillo met their goals. The total water usage for the area could possibly come in under 7-8 percent.

“Weather helped. If we have a warm and dry winter this year, we’re going to be in dire shape again, so we’re staying cautious,” Bergh said.