SF Water Rationing? It’s Possible…


The drought in the San Francisco area may require water regulatory agencies to begin water rationing and fining for excessive usage.

SFGate reports the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is considering taking the step of making business customers reduce outdoor water usage by 10 percent or face fines and penalties. A growing number of California communities are rationing water amid one the worst droughts in decades.

It would apply primarily to large customers who use the bulk of their water outdoors, like schools, golf courses, shopping centers, and condo complexes. Because most water meters don’t distinguish between indoor and outdoor use, there’s no way to identify whether most residents and businesses are over-soaking their lawns.

The commission’s five-member board is scheduled to consider the cap at its meeting Tuesday as part of the agency’s effort to safeguard its Sierra-born water supply. The proposal would double water rates for any water used beyond 90 percent of what a customer used in 2013. It may also be a harbinger of more stringent measures to come if the drought continues.

The mandate is expected to affect the over 1,600 individual accounts. The 10 percent mandatory reduction follows a request in January for voluntary reduction in water usage. Though voluntary compliance was slow at the start, more and more customers began conserving when the drought’s effects were becoming apparent.

The abc7news website confirms the East Bay Municipal Utilities District is joining in the mandatory restriction efforts. Restrictions by EBMUD would prohibit using potable water(water safe for human consumption) for decorative ponds or fountains, washing cars or boats with a hose without a shutoff nozzle, washing sidewalks or driveways with potable water, irrigating lawns or gardens with potable water more than two days a week and flushing sewers or hydrants with potable water.

Penalties for violations of the new restrictions could include excessive use penalties and mandatory installation of flow control devices. The EBMUD will also look to crack down on outdoor faucets with leaks.

Three drier-than-average years have left the Public Utilities Commission’s water supply at 62 percent of capacity, as of August 1, compared with 79 percent a year ago. The bulk of the agency’s water comes from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park, where snowmelt that nourishes supplies has been sparse.

While utility officials maintain they have enough water to make it until the rainy season, they say they need to take precautionary measures should next year also be dry.

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