SACRAMENTO – As drought conditions continue throughout the state, the State Water Resources Control Board readopted an emergency regulation that bolsters California’s conservation efforts by prohibiting wasteful water practices like watering lawns when it rains.
The regulation was originally adopted in January 2022 and is now extended until January 2024. It applies to all water users including individuals, businesses and public agencies, and can be enforced through warning letters, water audits or fines. Reducing water waste helps the state’s overall conservation efforts, a pillar of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Water Supply Strategy to replace supplies the state is anticipated to lose by 2040 due to hotter, drier conditions.
“Extending the ban on these wasteful practices helps all of us make water conservation a daily habit,” said E. Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the State Water Board. “And, as we can see from the state’s recent double-digit conservation percentages during some of the driest months of the year, our emergency conservation regulations and actions by local suppliers are having a cumulative impact.”
The regulation stems from the Governor’s 2021 Emergency Drought Proclamation, which expanded the drought emergency statewide and encouraged the board to supplement voluntary conservation measures by prohibiting certain wasteful water uses.
Other practices prohibited under the regulation include using decorative fountains without water recirculating pumps and washing vehicles without an automatic shutoff nozzle. The regulation also directs that Homeowners’ Associations (HOAs), cities, and counties not prevent homeowners from replacing their lawns with climate-appropriate vegetation.
The readopted prohibitions take effect within 10 days once approved by the Office of Administrative Law and filed with the Secretary of State and will remain in place for one year unless extended, modified or removed
The State Water Board’s mission is to preserve, enhance and restore the quality of California’s water resources and drinking water for the protection of the environment, public health, and all beneficial uses, and to ensure proper resource allocation and efficient use for present and future generations.
