Yuba City will enact new water use restrictions next month as the city enters a phase of “severe shortage.” The rules will prohibit non-recirculating fountains, require shut-off nozzles for hoses, and limit watering to Mondays and Thursdays. Other water violations include excessive watering, washing down hard surfaces such as sidewalks and driveways, or failure to repair leaks in a timely manner.
The restrictions are in response to Executive Order N-7-22 which requires all urban water suppliers to reach a conservation target of 20%.
“In order to meet the state conservation target and conserve the City's limited water supply as much as is practicable, the City Council elected to enter Stage 3 (Severe Shortage) of the City's Water Shortage Contingency Plan with a designated 20% reduction target, which includes mandatory water use prohibitions,” according to a press release. “Implementation of mandatory water restrictions begins on May 1, 2022 and the City will begin issuing violations on June 1, 2022.”
Yuba’s announcement was made the same week that the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California announced tough new restrictions on water usage. Those rules will impact some 6 million residents across multiple SoCal counties.