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Drought Levels
(Click below for detailed information)
   
Click on each box above to see restrictions or actions for each drought response level.
The following information was extracted from Ramona Municipal Water District’s Legislative Code Section 7.50; adopted 2/10/09 (complete Water Conservation policy is available at: rmwd.org)
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Level 1
Drought Watch
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Trigger
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Voluntary or Mandatory Restrictions
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Customer Conservation Targets
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- Level 1 applies when the Water Authority notifies its member agencies that due to drought or other supply reductions, there is a reasonable probability of supply shortages and that a consumer demand reduction of up to 10% is required to ensure that sufficient supplies will be available to meet anticipated demands.
- The member agency General Manager shall declare the existence of Level 1 and take action to implement the Level 1 conservation practices identified in this ordinance.
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Voluntary
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Up to 10%
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What are the voluntary guidelines at Level 1?
a. Washing down paved surfaces, including but not limited to sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, or patios, except when it is necessary to alleviate safety or sanitation hazards.
b. Water waste resulting from inefficient landscape irrigation, such as runoff, low head drainage, or overspray, etc. Similarly, stop water flows onto non-targeted areas, such as adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, hardscapes, roadways, or structures.
c. Irrigate residential and commercial landscape before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. only.
d. Use a hand-held hose equipped with a positive shut-off nozzle or bucket to water landscaped areas, including trees and shrubs located on residential and commercial properties that are not irrigated by a landscape irrigation system.
e. Irrigate nursery and commercial grower’s products before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. only. Watering is permitted at any time with a hand-held hose equipped with a positive shut-off nozzle, a bucket, or when a drip/micro-irrigation system/equipment or rotating nozzles are used. Irrigation of nursery propagation beds is permitted at any time. Watering of livestock is permitted at any time.
f. Use recirculated water to operate ornamental fountains. Avoid washing during hot conditions when additional water is required due to evaporation.
g. Wash vehicles using a bucket and a hand-held hose with positive shut-off nozzle, mobile high pressure/low volume wash system, or at a commercial site that re-circulates (reclaims) water on-site. Avoid washing during hot conditions when additional water is required due to evaporation.
h. Serve and refill water in restaurants and other food service establishments only upon request.
i. Offer guests in hotels, motels, and other commercial lodging establishments the option of not laundering towels and linens daily.
j. Repair all water leaks within five (5) days of notification by the District unless other arrangements are made with the General Manager.
k. Use recycled or non-potable water for construction purposes when available and feasible.
Restrictions shall not apply to water use from private wells or to the use of recycled water.
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Level 2
Drought Alert
(Possible Implementation 7/1/09)
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Trigger
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Voluntary or
Mandatory
Restrictions
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Customer
Conservation
Targets
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• Level 2 condition (“Drought Alert”) applies when the Water Authority notifies its member agencies that due to cutbacks caused by drought or other reduction in supplies, a consumer demand reduction of up to twenty percent (20%) is required in order to have sufficient supplies available to meet anticipated demands.
• The District’s Board of Directors may declare the existence of a Drought Response Level 2 condition and implement the mandatory Level 2 conservation measures identified in this section. |
Mandatory
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Up to 20%
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All Level 1 water-use restrictions, plus:
a. Limit residential and commercial landscape irrigation to no more than three (3) assigned days per week on a schedule established by the General Manager and posted by the District. During the months of November through May, landscape irrigation is limited to no more than once per week on a schedule established by the General Manager and posted by the District. This section shall not apply to commercial growers or nurseries.
b. Limit lawn watering and landscape irrigation using sprinklers to no more than fifteen (15) minutes per watering station per assigned day. This provision does not apply to landscape irrigation systems using water efficient devices, including but not limited to: weather based controllers, drip/micro-irrigation systems and rotating nozzles.
c. Water landscaped areas, including trees and shrubs located on residential and commercial properties, and not irrigated by a landscape irrigation system governed by Section D(2)(a)1 of policy, on the same schedule set forth in Section D(2)(a) of policy, by using a bucket, hand-held hose with positive shut-off nozzle, or low-volume non-spray irrigation.
d. Repair all leaks within seventy-two (72) hours of notification by the District unless other arrangements are made with the General Manager.
e. Stop operating ornamental fountains or similar decorative water features unless recycled water is used.
Restrictions shall not apply to water use from private wells or to the use of recycled water.
Note: see complete policy for restrictions on new or resizing of potable meter service.
1 Section E(2)(a): Limit residential and commercial landscape irrigation to no more than two (2) assigned days per week on a schedule established by the General Manager and posted by the District. During the months of November through May, landscape irrigation is limited to no more than once per week on a schedule established by the General Manager and posted by the District. This section shall not apply to commercial growers or nurseries.
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Level 3
Drought Critical
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Trigger
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Voluntary or
Mandatory
Restrictions
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Customer
Conservation
Targets
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• Level 3 condition (“Drought Critical”) applies when the Water Authority notifies its member agencies that due to increasing cutbacks caused by drought or other reduction of supplies, a consumer demand reduction of up to forty percent (40%) is required in order to have sufficient supplies available to meet anticipated demands.
• The District’s Board of Directors may declare the existence of a Drought Response Level 3 condition and implement the Level 3 conservation measures identified in this section.
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Mandatory
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Up to 40%
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What are the restrictions at Level 3?
All Level 1, 2 and 3 water-use restrictions, plus:
a. Stop all landscape irrigation, except crops and landscape products of commercial growers and nurseries. This restriction shall not apply to the following categories of use unless the District has determined that recycled water is available and may be lawfully applied to the use.
(i) Maintenance of trees and shrubs that are watered on the same schedule set forth in Section E(2)(a)1 by using a bucket, hand-held hose with a positive shut-off nozzle, or low-volume non-spray irrigation.
(ii) Maintenance of existing landscaping necessary for fire protection as specified by the Fire Marshal of the local fire protection agency having jurisdiction over the property to be irrigated;
(iii) Maintenance of existing landscaping for erosion control;
(iv) Maintenance of plant materials identified to be rare or essential to the well being of rare animals;
(v) Maintenance of landscaping within active public parks and playing fields, day care centers, school grounds, cemeteries, and golf course greens, provided that such irrigation does not exceed two (2) days per week according to the schedule established under Section E(2)(a);
(vi) Watering of livestock; and
(vii) Public works projects and actively irrigated environmental mitigation projects.
b. Repair all water leaks within twenty-four (24) hours of notification by the District unless other arrangements are made with the General Manager.
The District may establish a water allocation for property served by the District.
Restrictions shall not apply to water use from private wells or to the use of recycled water.
Note: see complete policy for restrictions on new or resizing of potable meter service.
1 Section E(2)(a): Limit residential and commercial landscape irrigation to no more than two (2) assigned days per week on a schedule established by the General Manager and posted by the District. During the months of November through May, landscape irrigation is limited to no more than once per week on a schedule established by the General Manager and posted by the District. This section shall not apply to commercial growers or nurseries.
All Level 1 and 2 water-use restrictions, plus:
a. Limit residential and commercial landscape irrigation to no more than two (2) assigned days per week on a schedule established by the General Manager and posted by the District. During the months of November through May, landscape irrigation is limited to no more than once per week on a schedule established by the General Manager and posted by the District. This section shall not apply to commercial growers or nurseries.
b. Water landscaped areas, including trees and shrubs located on residential and commercial properties, and not irrigated by a landscape irrigation system governed by Section E(2)(a)1, on the same schedule set forth in Section E(2)(a) by using a bucket, hand-held hose with a positive shut-off nozzle, or low-volume non-spray irrigation.
c. Filling or re-filling ornamental lakes or ponds, except to the extent needed to sustain aquatic life, provided that such animals are of significant value and have been actively managed within the water feature prior to declaration of a Drought response level under this Chapter 7.40.
d. Washing vehicles except at commercial carwashes that re-circulate water, or by high-pressure/low volume wash systems.
e. Repair all leaks within forty-eight (48) hours of notification by the District unless other arrangements are made with the General Manager.
Restrictions shall not apply to water use from private wells or to the use of recycled water.
Note: see complete policy for restrictions on new or resizing of potable meter service.
1 Section E(2)(a): Limit residential and commercial landscape irrigation to no more than two (2) assigned days per week on a schedule established by the General Manager and posted by the District. During the months of November through May, landscape irrigation is limited to no more than once per week on a schedule established by the General Manager and posted by the District. This section shall not apply to commercial growers or nurseries.
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Level 4
Drought Emergency
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Trigger
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Voluntary or
Mandatory
Restrictions
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Customer
Conservation
Targets
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• Level 4 condition (“Drought Emergency”) applies when the Water Authority Board declares a water shortage emergency pursuant to California Water Code section 350 and notifies its member agencies that Level 4 requires a demand reduction of more than forty percent (40%) percent in order for the Authority to have maximum supplies available to meet anticipated demands
• Upon declaration by the Authority of a Drought Emergency Condition, the District may declare a Drought Emergency in the manner and on the grounds provided in California Water Code section 350 et seq.
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Mandatory
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Above 40%
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What are the restrictions at Level 4?
What are the restrictions at Level 2?
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