DWA steps up to enforce water waste restrictions
The Desert Water Agency adopted a new ordinance to better enforce the water use restrictions during the California drought.
“Everyone needs to make sacrifices to save water. If you are wasting water or disregarding restrictions, you may now see a fine instead of a warning letter,” said DWA Board President Jim Cioffi. “We need our customers to know that we are taking water waste very seriously.”
According to the Board of Directors release, the new action plan will help streamline DWA’s mandatory water conservation efforts. The new water waste enforcement plan includes:
Fining customers who DWA observes violating water use prohibitions and restrictions
Devoting more agency staff time to water waste enforcement
Encouraging all agency representatives to be on the lookout for water waste violations
Deploying marked water efficiency enforcement vehicles
Reaching out to high water use customers
“This charge from our board has given our team greater resources when looking for, documenting and citing water waste,” said DWA General Manager Mark Krause. “We hope that enhanced enforcement encourages customers to make the right choices.”
DWA customers fell short of their water reduction mandate, saving only 10 percent in January 2016. Customers achieved savings of 40 and 30 percent during summer when annual use peaks. At 26 percent, DWA’s cumulative savings is above the statewide average and the Governor’s 25 percent mandate, but remains short of DWA’s conservation target, officials said in the release.
You can report water wasters through DWA’s app, which can be downloaded through iTunes or Google Play.
