SACRAMENTO -- As California enters a fourth year of severe drought, the State Water Resources Control Board Tuesday adopted an expanded emergency regulation to safeguard the state’s remaining water supplies. While Californians have made great strides to conserve water, more effort is needed.
Prohibited Water Use
Under the new action, the prohibitions on potable water use, first adopted in 2014, will continue, and new prohibitions will go into effect. All Californians are now prohibited from:
o washing down sidewalks and driveways;
o watering outdoor landscapes in a manner that causes excess runoff;
o washing a motor vehicle with a hose, unless the hose is fitted with a shut-off nozzle;
o operating a fountain or decorative water feature, unless the water is part of a recirculating system; and
o irrigating turf or ornamental landscapes during and 48 hours following measurable precipitation (new).
(New) Prohibitions affecting commercial businesses include:
o restaurants and other food service establishments can only serve water to customers on request; and
o operators of hotels and motels must provide guests with the option of choosing not to have towels and linens laundered daily and prominently display notice of this option.