Investments in Local Supplies and Water Wise Customers Have Prepared our Community
To meet local water supply requirements and emergency state regulations, the Cucamonga Valley Water District (CVWD/District) Board of Directors declared a Stage 3 Water Shortage on May 24, 2022. In accordance with its Water Shortage Contingency Plan, a Stage 3 shortage requires: 20% water use reduction; limits hours of watering to after 4:00 p.m. and before 9:00 a.m.; and limits outdoor watering to three days per week (addresses ending in an odd number may water Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; addresses ending in an even number may water Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays; no watering on Mondays.) These new restrictions go into effect immediately. The CVWD board did not adopt drought rates as part of this action and is calling on its customers to do their part to get through this together. CVWD is confident that as a community, we can reach the required 20% reduction.
Last month, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) declared a water shortage emergency which included an order for cutting down to one-day-a-week outdoor watering for some of the communities in its service area. Fortunately, CVWD, like many water agencies in Southern California, has prioritized in building local water supplies to ensure it can meet the water needs for customers now and into the future. Because of these efforts, coupled with the community’s commitment to making conservation a way of life, CVWD’s service area is well-positioned to address the drought challenges and is not currently subject to the one-day-a-week outdoor water restriction.
On an average non-drought year, approximately 50% of CVWD’s water supply comes from Northern California via the State Water Project, through MWD. CVWD is committed to working with regional water partners as well as its customers to achieve water savings. While CVWD is currently well positioned, if drought conditions continue and more severe restrictions are ordered by the state or MWD, customers may see additional restrictions required of us in the future.
“CVWD customers are conscientious about water use,” commented CVWD Board President Randall Reed. “Over the last decade, customers have participated in numerous water efficiency programs and received rebates that have helped them be better water stewards. I would like to personally thank all CVWD customers for their hard work in helping us manage our water supply and making our area more drought resilient.”
CVWD is committed to assisting customers with improving their water efficiency and encourages residents to be water wise through programs like the Water Savvy Garden Tour, landscape retrofit programs, and water efficient workshops. The District’s Best Management Practices also help guide customers to be good water stewards. Simple tasks such as using a shutoff nozzle on a garden hose, repairing leaks, eliminating sprinkler overspray and runoff and placing mulch around the base of plants and trees are all easy ways for customers to save water.
For more information about CVWD’s drought response, click here.