CURRENT WATER-USE REGULATIONS

Specific water use regulations can be accessed by clicking on the links below:

Water Shortage Emergency Guidelines (470 KB .pdf file)
Landscape Guidelines (800KB .pdf file)

All DWP customers in the Big Bear Valley are under Stage I Water Shortage Emergency Regulations, with the exception of Lake William, which is under Stage II Water Shortage Emergency Regulations. Stage I regulations were declared in May 2008. Conservation stages are determined by the Board of Commissioners based on many variables, some of which are the current ground water levels, recent ground water level trends, prior year precipitation and water demand, and current and anticipated water demand. Current Stage I regulations include the following:

• All DWP residential and commercial customers shall reduce their water consumption by a minimum of 5% below average monthly consumption.
• Outdoor water-use shall be reduced at least 15% below average monthly consumption.
• Outdoor irrigation will be permitted every other day based on the customer’s address and the current date.
• All new landscapes and existing landscape modifications greater than 1,000 square feet require a landscaping permit prior to beginning work.
• New turf installations may not exceed 500 square feet in size, and must be permitted prior to installation.
• All new and retrofitted landscapes with turf must be irrigated using a sprinkler system with an automatic irrigation controller, which has the capability to accommodate all time and date irrigation restrictions employed by the DWP.
• No DWP water may be used for soil compaction or dust control.
• DWP customers using eight ccfs per month or less, for all billings during the previous twelve months, shall be exempt from the stipulations in the first two items above, provided their water use remains at this level or lower during the water shortage emergency.

Outdoor Watering Guidelines

In addition to the Stage I regulations previously mentioned, additional outdoor watering restrictions, include, but are not limited to:

• No washing of sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking areas, patios, porches or verandas, buildings and structures using water from a hose except when needed to protect public health and safety.
• No water shall be used to clean, fill, operate, or maintain levels in decorative fountains unless such water is part of a recycling system.
• All water leaks must be repaired in a timely manner.
• Irrigation systems must be shut down from November 1st to April 1st.
• Noncommercial washing of private vehicles, trailers, buses or boats must be conducted through the use of a bucket and a hose equipped with a shut-off nozzle.
• There shall be no use of water from a fire hydrant, except for fire protection purposes.
• No flooding or run-off in driveways or streets.

Watering Days

Currently, the DWP has authorized its customers to water every other day based on the customer’s address and the current date. If the address is an odd number, the customer can water on those dates, which are odd, and vice versa if the address is an even number. In addition, watering is limited to before 9:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m. on the authorized watering days.

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