The city must immediately reduce its water consumption by 24 percent, the public works director announced at Tuesday night’s council meeting.
Residents will only be allowed to water their lawns with potable water once a week for 15 minutes after 6 p.m. They must either use timed sprinklers or water by hand.
Cars cannot be washed at home and must be taken to commercial car washes instead.
The restrictions were triggered by the declaration of a Stage Three Drought by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which imports water to the city. The declaration was issued in response to Governor Brown’s April 1 executive order to reduce water usage throughout the state.
According to a 2009 city ordinance, the city must reduce its use with the Stage Three measures described above.
Initially, the city plans to focus on educating the public rather than handing out citations, Public Works Director Tony Olmos said.
A town hall will be held in the first couple of weeks in May to provide information about the new restrictions. ER
