Monte Vista Water District
Declares Stage II Water Supply Shortage

During the past year, Monte Vista Water District has been asking our customers to “Watch the Water” . . . and you responded! How do we know? Since July 2008, water demand has decreased by 12% compared to last year. Monte Vista Water District congratulates our customers for achieving significant water savings.

However, we are entering our third dry year, and court-imposed reductions to protect fish species continue to threaten our imported water supply. In February, the Governor made history by declaring a water supply state of emergency for all of California. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, supplier of imported water to the District, took action to allocate a certain amount of water to its customers, beginning July 2009. While we will always have enough water to provide to our customers, if we go over our allocated amount, the cost of that water increases greatly—a cost we will have to pass on to our customers.

The Board of Directors took action at its April 22, 2009 meeting to declare a Stage II Water Supply Shortage that includes mandatory water use restrictions. Our goal is to keep within our allocated amount, especially during the summer months, when water use typically increases. In order to meet that goal, we are asking our customers to continue to use water as efficiently as possible and to avoid usages that waste water.

In order to maintain a 10-15% reduction in water demand for our service area, the following wasteful water use practices are prohibited:
Watering landscapes during daytime (7 a.m. - 6 p.m.)
Exceptions: Hand-watering, drip irrigation, new grass or plants, system maintenance, nurseries
Excessive runoff from landscape irrigation
Hosing or washing paved surfaces, including sidewalks, driveways, patios, parking areas
Failure to repair leaks within forty-eight (48) hours
Washing motor vehicles without using a hand-held bucket and hose with shut-off nozzle
Serving water at restaurants unless requested to do so
Using decorative water features unless water is re-circulated

Violators of these restrictions will receive two written notices, and may be assessed fines and possible flow restriction after multiple violations. The District asks customers who see water being wasted to call our “Watch the Water” hotline at (909) 267-2130.

If we all use water efficiently, we will have plenty of water for all our needs. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (909) 267-2116 or jscottcoe@mvwd.org