Just because the rainy season has arrived doesn’t mean California’s water cops are off the job. With a fourth year of drought looming, some of the Bay Area’s biggest utilities continue to crack down on excessive outdoor watering. Most are responding to heavy sprinkler use or power-washing with a courtesy note, advising customers to stop what they’re doing with the threat of a fine.
Pasadena Water and Power is planning to step up water conservation efforts beginning this September as California slips deeper into drought.
Speaking to members of the Municipal Services Committee on Tuesday, July 13, PWP Interim General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger said the agency will soon propose the implementation of a level 3 Water Supply Shortage Plan, which would limit watering days to one day per week.
New but relatively minor restrictions went into place immediately this week with the adoption of a new water shortage declaration unanimously adopted Tuesday night by the Newport Beach City Council.
Automated sprinkler use in Newport Beach is now limited to three days a week, and residents will be asked to decrease their household water usage to where it was in 2020.
Water restrictions began Wednesday for 6 million residents in Southern California, as the state enters its third year of severe drought and what water officials say is the state’s driest year on record.
Residents and businesses must limit their outdoor watering to one or two days per week or to a set volume of water, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California announced.
Millions of Angelenos awoke Wednesday to a new, more arid future as unprecedented water restrictions went into effect across Southern California.
For some, the sweeping limitations on outdoor watering felt like déjà vu from the last time the state was in a significant drought, when lawns turned brown and short showers became the norm. For others, the rules were a frustrating reminder of how little has changed.
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo renewed calls for residents to conserve water and proposed outdoor watering restrictions Wednesday as California’s ongoing drought deepens.
The Marin Municipal Water District is imposing more mandatory water restrictions on residents, with the goal of reducing overall water use in the district by 40%.
The water district’s board voted Tuesday night to limit spray irrigation to two days per week and drip irrigation to three days per week. All swimming pools and spas must be covered to limit evaporation.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
