State Water Board To Vote On Mandatory Statewide Water Restrictions

California water regulators have proposed new emergency drought regulations that would prohibit a wide range of wasteful water behaviors for the entire state.

On Tuesday, the State Water Resources Control Board released a draft of the regulations that would prohibit “excessive” irrigation, ban the use of potable water for street cleaning and forbid landscape irrigation within 48 hours of a rain storm, among other things.

The new mandatory rules would be enforced by local water agencies and people found to be wasting water could face fines, according to a statement from the Water Board, which will vote on the proposal sometime in January for the entire state.