SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Starting June 10, residents and businesses in the city of San Diego will have to limit how much water they use.
“Water is a precious resource and we must use our water wisely. We hope San Diegans will take the new restrictions to heart and take advantage of the range of rebates and water saving tips offered," said Juan Guerreiro, director of the city’s Public Utilities Department.
Last month, Gov. Newsom held a closed-door meeting with major water agencies imploring them to take more aggressive action to combat drought. At the governor’s direction, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted an emergency water conservation program calling on local water agencies to take appropriate action.
The new regulation requires all urban water suppliers to implement conservation actions under Level 2 of their Water Shortage Contingency Plans. Level 2 water shortage contingency plans are meant to address up to a 20% shortage of water supplies.
Level 2 water restrictions include the following actions for all City of San Diego water customers:
- Areas with no irrigation system must use a hand-held hose with a shutoff nozzle, hand-held container or a garden hose sprinkler system on a timer.
- Irrigation is prohibited during and within 48 hours of a rain event.
- Landscape irrigation is limited to no more than three days per week before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. This does not apply to commercial growers or nurseries, nor to the irrigation of golf course greens and trees.
- Use of recycled or non-potable water, when available, is required for construction purposes.
- Washing of vehicles at residences is prohibited. Washing is still permitted at commercial car washes.
“We are asking San Diegans to take these steps now, so we can help avoid a more dire situation in the near future,” said Guerreiro.
RELATED: San Diego County's water supply is in a good spot, but it comes at a cost
Most of the city’s water is purchased from the San Diego County Water Authority (CWA). Although CWA has determined San Diego County's water supply is currently stable, the dire drought in Northern California and throughout the West requires all water customers to help reduce water use.
The water authority has introduced various incentive programs for people looking to remodel to be more drought-friendly. Information for that can be found at watersmartsd.org.
