Water Conservation Legislative Update

On Thursday, May 31, 2018, Governor Brown signed SB 606 and AB 1668 which are two accompanying bills setting long term water use efficiency requirements. The bills implement the framework established by EO B-37-16, titled “Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life,” which was released on April 7, 2017. The bills call for creation of new urban water use efficiency standards for indoor use, outdoor use, and water lost to leaks, as well as any appropriate variances for unique local conditions. The State Water Board will adopt these standards by regulation no later than June 30, 2022. Each urban retail water agency will annually, beginning November 2023, calculate and report its water use objective.

While many details for implementing the new water use requirements will be determined over the next several years, the overall framework includes:

• A standard for indoor residential water use of 55 gallons per person per day—dropping
  incrementally to 50 gallons beginning in 2030.
• A standard for outdoor residential water use (to be determined) based upon a
  community’s climate and the amount of landscaped area.
• A standard for water loss due to leaks in water system pipes (to be determined).

Additional Information on Water Conservation and Efficiency Statutes

State mandated end user restrictions on water use still remain in effect and are likely to become permanent.  The full list of mandatory water conservation measures for the City of Davis are listed below. 
 
State Water Conservation Portal

Mandatory Water Use Restrictions

• No watering outdoors between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., except with a hand-held container or hose with a shut-off nozzle, or for very short periods when adjusting a sprinkler system*

• Outdoor watering is restricted to three days a week*:
  • Odd numbered addresses: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
  • Even numbered addresses: Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
  • No outdoor watering on Monday;

*Drip irrigation systems and soaker hoses are exempt from watering days and times

• No watering during periods of rain or for 48 hours after measureable rainfall

• No excessive water flow or runoff onto pavement, gutters or ditches from watering or irrigating landscapes or vegetation of any kind

• No washing down paved surfaces unless for safety or sanitation, in which case a bucket, a hose with a shut-off nozzle, a cleaning machine that recycles water or a low-volume/high-pressure water broom must be used

• All property owners must fix leaks, breaks or malfunctions when they find them, or within 72 hours of receiving a notice from the city of Davis

• Fountains and water features must have a re-circulating water system

• Vehicles must be washed with a hand-held bucket and/or hose equipped with a water shut-off nozzle (does not apply to commercial car washes)

• Restaurants may not serve drinking water unless by patron's request

• Restaurants must use water-saving dish wash spray valves

• No installation of non-recirculating water systems at new commercial car washes and laundry systems;

• Hotels and motels must give guests the option to decline daily bed linen and towel changes

• No irrigation with potable water of landscapes outside of newly constructed homes and buildings in any manner inconsistent with regulations or other requirements established by the California Building Standards Commission and the Department of Housing and Community Development

• No irrigation with potable water of ornamental turf on public street medians

Print PDF of Water Use Restrictions

Drought Resources

Report Water Waste

To report water leaks and water waste violations, please e-mail SaveWater@CityofDavis.org or call (530) 757-5620. Reports may be kept anonymous however the City will need the full address of the violation location in order to make contact.