Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District to enforce penalties for water waste

Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District (BCVWD) is requiring 20% reductions in water use by customers and enforcing penalties in response to statewide emergency drought orders.

At its June 8 meeting, the BCVWD Board of Directors updated an earlier resolution to enact Stage 3 of its Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP). The move restricts irrigation of residential lawns to three days per week between May and October and prohibits the filling of new swimming pools, on top of ongoing measures to cut water waste. Irrigation of decorative grass at commercial, industrial and institutional sites, including HOAs, is also banned by order of the State Water Resources Control Board.

“These actions help safeguard water resources for BCVWD customers as we face ongoing and unrelenting drought,” said Secretary David Hoffman, on behalf of the Board of Directors. “We all need to step up our conservation game and commit to saving more water.”

The District’s water supply is stable and customers will not run out of water this summer. However, significant efficiency efforts are imperative to address continued drought impacts.

Stage 3 measures also include:

• Watering of residential lawns, parks, sports fields, schools and grass used for recreational purposes or community events is currently limited to eight minutes per watering station, between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.
• Addresses ending in an odd number or meters without a physical address may water Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Addresses ending in an even number may water Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
• Trees and plants are not subject to the watering limits.
• Between November and April, watering lawns is limited to two days per week.

Stage 3 includes penalties for violations. Customers will first receive a written notice, followed by increasing financial penalties equal to 10%, 20%, 30% and 50% of the customer’s water bill. Violations after the fifth notice are subject to suspension or termination of water service.

The District constantly monitors weather conditions and the resulting impact on local water supply and demand. BCVWD’s strategic planning, preparation and partnerships have helped the agency realize more than a three-year supply of water stored for emergencies like the current drought. To prepare for water shortages, the District updated its WSCP in October 2021. The plan is designed to preserve water supplies in the Beaumont Basin, which provides water to the District’s service area.

For more information on drought restrictions and conservation tips, visit bcvwd.org.