CVWD drought penalties & irrigation restrictions go into effect

Coachella Valley Water District’s roughly 108,000 customers will have to tighten their belts starting Tuesday, when new, stricter water rationing measures go into effect.

Domestic water customers won’t be allowed to water outside on Mondays and Thursdays through at least March 31, 2016.

Customers in the top three water tiers will also face steep fines if they use more water than allocated.

The restrictions and financial penalties went into effect after CVWD failed to meet a state-mandated 36 percent reduction in water use.

“Our customers have done a great job by reducing water use by a monthly average of 27% compared to 2013 and have saved approximately 5 billion gallons of water from June 1 to Oct. 31. Obviously, a majority of the residents and business owners are doing their part to conserve during this historic drought or we wouldn’t be seeing this kind of success,” said CVWD General Manager Jim Barrett in a statement released Monday. “However, the state doesn’t think that’s enough.”

CVWD reported on average, 75% of customers avoided penalties by meeting the new state mandate.

To see a schedule of penalties effective Dec. 1 for January bills, click here.

Previous statewide mandatory water restrictions included no water runoff or irrigation during and 48 hours after measurable rainfall. CVWD also requires sprinklers be fixed within 24 hours and leaks be fixed as soon as possible.

To see a video for help on reprogramming your sprinkler timer, click here.

Have you ever been fined for using too much water?