South San Francisco, CA April 15, 2022 Submitted by Don Jones, CalWater
As part of its drought management and response plan, California Water Service (Cal Water) officially enters Stage 2 of its Water Shortage Contingency Plan today in its Bayshore District, which includes its Mid-Peninsula and South San Francisco systems. Stage 2 restrictions include additional outdoor watering limits and increased water waste penalties.
Cal Water filed its application to move into Stage 2 with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on March 15 and held a public meeting in early April to help educate residents and businesses about new irrigation restrictions, water waste penalties, and programs to help reduce water use. This move put Cal Water ahead of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s March 28 request for all water suppliers to move into Stage 2 of their drought plans.
Outdoor landscape irrigation is now limited to two days per week as follows, between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m., unless local ordinances state otherwise:
- Addresses ending with an odd number: Tuesday and Saturday
- Addresses ending with an even number or with no street number: Wednesday and Sunday
Additionally, penalties for violating the prohibited uses of water have doubled. Some of the common restrictions include:
- All leaks, breaks, or other malfunctions in a customer’s plumbing fixtures and/or irrigation system must be repaired within five business days of written notification by Cal Water.
- Vehicles may only be washed with a hose that has a shutoff nozzle or similar device.
- Water may not be used on driveways or sidewalks, unless for health and safety purposes.
- No watering of outdoor landscapes may occur during and within 48 hours after measurable rainfall.
- Restaurants may only serve water upon request, and hotels and motels must provide guests with the option of not having towels and linens laundered daily.
“We have been preparing for these increasingly serious drought conditions, and Stage 2 of our Water Shortage Contingency Plan helps us conserve while continuing to support our customers and provide quality, service, and value to them,” said Moilan, Bayshore District Manager. “We offer Bayshore customers a variety of conservation programs and encourage them to take advantage of these resources to help save water every day.”
Cal Water’s industry-leading conservation programs include:
- Lawn-to-garden rebate of $3 per square foot of lawn removed and replaced with low-water-use landscaping
- Spray-to-drip rebate of $0.50 per square foot of landscaping converted from standard spray irrigation to a drip system
- Rebates on high-efficiency appliances and devices, with certain rebates now doubled
- A free smart landscape tune-up program that includes an irrigation system evaluation along with installation of efficient devices and repair of most irrigation leaks
- A free residential conservation kit that includes a garden hose nozzle with shutoff valve, high-efficiency showerheads, faucet aerators, and more for residential customers
More conservation programs, drought resources, and a full list of the prohibited uses of water can be found on calwater.com/drought.
Cal Water’s Bayshore District serves approximately 200,800 people through 80,000 service connections in San Carlos, San Mateo, and South San Francisco and about 2 million people through 492,600 service connections in California. The utility has provided water service in the area since 1931. Additional information may be obtained online at www.calwater.com.
###
Please note that some residents in South San Francisco are provided water services by Westborough Water District and we encourage those customers to check with WWD for their drought response.