[SCWD] – Santa Clarita Water Division, one of four local municipal water retailers, has eliminated drought-related mandatory conservation targets, including watering day schedules, after informing state officials that it has sufficient water to meet anticipated customer needs should the drought continue three more years.

Although mandatory water-use limits are gone, Santa Clarita Water officials are encouraging customers to continue saving water in order to meet another conservation mandate by 2020 and to help eliminate water waste.

Santa Clarita Water, the retail division of the Castaic Lake Water Agency, previously was under a state mandate to reduce water use by 32 percent from 2013 levels because of California’s lingering severe drought. In May, California water officials modified the statewide water reduction mandate and provided the ability for local agencies to evaluate their supply and demand using specific criteria established by the State Board. Under the new state rule, local water agencies were required to establish their own mandatory water restrictions if an agency’s projections showed they would not have adequate water supplies should the drought continue for three more years.

In its recent filing with the state, Santa Clarita Water stated that its “stress test” confirmed it has a reliable water supply to meet local demands for the next three years. In addition to removing the mandatory water conservation target, Santa Clarita Water customers no longer are restricted by which days they can water their landscapes.

“Our customers did a great job saving water when it was really needed over the last two years. Although we have removed mandatory restrictions, we are reminding customers that the drought hasn’t ended in California and saving water remains a good practice,” said Retail Manager Keith Abercrombie. “We also need to keep saving water in order to meet another state law passed in 2009 that requires us to permanently reduce our overall water demand by 20 percent by 2020.”

Abercrombie said it’s important to note that some state regulations remain in place to prohibit wasteful uses of water for all Californians. These include:

* No washing a motor vehicle with a hose, unless the hose is fitted with a shut off nozzle;

* No irrigating turf or ornamental landscapes during and 48 hours following measurable precipitation;

* No washing down sidewalks and driveways;

* No watering outdoor landscapes in a manner that causes excess runoff;

* No operating a fountain or decorative water feature, unless the water is part of a recirculating system; and

* Restaurants and other food service establishments can only serve water to customers on request.

Santa Clarita Water encourages its customers to continue to utilize the many water-saving tips found on its website, to take advantage of rebates on devices that save water and energy, and other conservation programs.

About the Santa Clarita Water Division

Santa Clarita Water is a division of the Castaic Lake Water Agency. SCWD is a water retailer that serves approximately 123,000 people with over 30,000 service connections in portions of the City of Santa Clarita in the communities of Canyon Country, Newhall, and Saugus and unincorporated portions of Los Angeles County. SCWD supplies water from local groundwater sources and CLWA imported water. www.scwater.org.

[VWC] – Valencia Water Company, one of four local municipal water retailers, has told state water officials it has enough water supplies to meet local needs for the near term, meaning customers will no longer be required to comply with the state mandated conservation standard and certain local water restrictions will be lifted for the remainder of 2016 and early 2017, officials announced today.

However, VWC is encouraging all customers to continue their water-saving ways and to not lose the valuable investments they made to create permanent water-efficient homes and businesses.

“All but a small portion of California remains in an extreme drought. Although our short-term water supplies remain adequate to meet our customer needs, we should not relax. Continuing to save means we can protect water supplies stored in the state’s reservoirs should severe water conditions return,” said Kenneth J. Petersen, General Manager for Valencia Water Company.

Under previous state rules, VWC had been required to reduce water use by 24 percent from 2013 levels. Last winter’s storms improved California’s water picture, prompting state officials to put water-restriction decisions in the hands of urban water retailers. VWC, like other water providers, was required to conduct a “stress test” to determine if it had adequate water supplies should the drought continue for another three years. Because VWC can show reliable water supplies from local and state sources during this period, the water company’s board of directors voted to rescind the mandatory water restriction requirement as well as limitations on weekly watering schedules and the time of day when customers can irrigate their landscapes.

“We will continue to ask customers for voluntary water conservation for the time being,” Petersen said. “When we were under mandatory water reductions, our customers were saving about 30 percent on a monthly basis. Our customers did an exceptional job during the most severe part of this drought. Asking customers to continue their conservation efforts where possible seems reasonable and encourages everyone to keep thinking about how they can improve their water-use efficiency and use water smartly.”

State regulations to prohibit water waste remain in place for all Californians including:

* No watering outdoor landscapes in a manner that causes excess runoff;

* No washing down sidewalks and driveways;

* No washing a motor vehicle with a hose, unless the hose is fitted with a shut off nozzle;

* No operating a fountain or decorative water feature, unless the water is part of a recirculating system;

* No irrigating turf or ornamental landscapes during and 48 hours following measurable precipitation;

* No irrigation with potable water of ornamental turf on public medians

* Restaurants and other food service establishments can only serve water to customers on request; and

* Hotel/motel operators must provide guests with the option of choosing not to have towels and linens laundered daily.

VWC continues to offer rebates on water-saving devices and a range of helpful and useful tips to customers. VWC also offers a WaterSMART (*Saving Money and Resources Today) online water conservation class.

Between voluntary and mandatory water conservation efforts since 2013, VWC customers have saved more than five billion gallons of water.

“It has been very encouraging to see so many customers do simple investments – anything from installing drip irrigation to replacing toilets for higher-efficiency models – to reduce their water use. We also saw customers make more significant investments, like replacing their turf with drought tolerant landscaping,” said Matt Dickens, VWC’s resource conservation manager. “We would like to see more customers take these steps because we’re still in a drought, and we know droughts will continue to cycle through our state in the decades ahead. Investments made today will have long-term value to homeowners and businesses.”

More details are available on the Valencia Water Company website www.valenciawater.com or by calling 661-294-0828. For regular WaterSMART tips and updates, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @ValenciaWater. Together, we’ll save water.

About Valencia Water Company

Valencia Water Company serves approximately 97,300 people in the Santa Clarita Valley, including Valencia, Stevenson Ranch and portions of Newhall, Saugus and Castaic. Valencia supplies its customers with high-quality water supplied from local wells and from imported supplies. Valencia has served the Santa Clarita Valley since 1965. Valencia Water Company can be reached at: www.valenciawater.com or 661-294-0828.