From the State Water Resources Control Board Fact Sheet:
A staff statewide water conservation proposal was released for public comment today that would amend the Feb. 2 emergency water conservation regulations, due to improved water supply conditions around most of the state.
Significant proposed changes include replacing the state developed standards with locally developed conservation standards based upon each agency’s specific circumstances. The proposed regulation would require individual urban water suppliers to self-certify the level of available water supplies they have assuming three additional dry years, and the level of
conservation necessary to assure adequate supply over that time.This self-certification would include information provided by regional water distribution agencies (wholesale suppliers) about how regional supplies would fare during three additional dry years. Both urban water suppliers and wholesale suppliers would be required to report the underlying basis for their assertions, and urban water suppliers would be required to continue reporting their conservation levels.
Per the proposal, urban water suppliers will be required to reduce potable water use in a percentage equal to their projected shortfall in the event of three more dry years. In other words, if an individual water district projects it would, under the specified assumptions, have a 10 percent shortfall after the next three years at the current rate of use, their mandatory conservation standard would be 10 percent.
The staff recommendation keeps in place the monthly reporting requirements and specific prohibitions against certain water uses. Those prohibitions include watering down a sidewalk with a hose instead of using a broom or a brush, or overwatering a landscape to where water is running off the lawn, over a sidewalk and into the gutter. As directed by Governor Brown’s Executive Order B-36-15, these requirements and prohibitions will also become permanent. Prohibitions against home owners associations taking action against homeowners during a declared drought remain as well.
These revised regulations are set for consideration May 18. All comments must be received by 12 noon on Monday, May 16, 2016, and will not be accepted after that time. Submitting comments by the close of business on Friday May 13 is recommended. The Board will issue formal Notice of Proposed Rulemaking pursuant to the requirements of the Government Code on or about May 13.
For more information …
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