Drought guidelines look to reduce water usage

The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, which provides most of Canyon Lake residents with its water, has been issued state mandates to monitor water usage among its customers. EVMWD consequently has moved to Level 2 of its Water Shortage Contingency Plan and is asking its customers to reduce water usage by 10-to-20 percent.

According to Drought.ca.gov, California’s third year of drought is marked by the driest winter months in 100 years. The period over January to March experienced the least rain and snow on record for any of these months in California, which overshadowed gains in precipitation at the end of 2021.

Snow melted faster than expected, reducing snowpack to just 38 percent of average by April. This is the state’s second extreme drought in 10 years, a symptom of a warming climate.

These dry conditions are faced across the state and in Canyon Lake. Local water suppliers, like EVMWD, were required to move to Level 2 of their Water Shortage Contingency Plans, which require locally-appropriate actions to conserve water across all sectors.

Doing this, the Department of Water Resources said, will result in an estimated potential water savings of several hundred thousand acre-feet. An acre-foot of water serves the needs of approximately three households for a year.

EVMWD’s Board of Directors recently voted to implement new water saving guidelines consistent with the state of California.

All EVMWD customers must stay in Tier 2 to achieve the goal of 10 to 20 percent water use reduction. EVMWD said notices may be issued to customers for non-compliance.

Those Tier 2 Water Saving Guidelines include:

1. Limit landscape irrigation to no more than three times per week and only between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
2. Adjust irrigation systems to avoid overspray and overwatering.
3. Water by hand using a hose with an automatic shutoff nozzle or drip irrigation system if watering during the day.
4. Cover your swimming pool. Do not fill uncovered swimming pools.
5. Operation of fountains and similar structures must be equipped with a recirculating system.
6. Fix leaky faucets, toilets, pipes and irrigation systems.
7. Do not wash down driveways or sidewalks.
8. Wash your vehicle only with a hose and shut-off nozzle.