Water Conservation and Regulations
On July 24, 2017, the JCSD Board of Directors unanimously approved remaining at Level 2 of the District’s Water Conservation Program.
JCSD's customers must continue to follow mandatory, year round water-use efficiency best practices including:
- Watering only between 8 p.m. - 8 a.m. for no more than 10 minutes per day per station
- Watering no more than 4 days per week
- No runoff
- No watering during and after rain
- Repairing all leaks
- Using shut-off nozzles to wash a vehicle
- No hosing down of hard surfaces including driveways, sidewalks, gutters, etc.
- Operating decorative water features that do not recirculate the water
- Restaurants or public places where food is served are not allowed to serve drinking water to a customer unless requested
Report Water Waste
In order for JCSD to take action on a water waste report, a photo or video that clearly shows the water waste and the source of the violation must be submitted. For example, providing a photo of water in a street gutter that does not identify which property the waste is coming from would not be sufficient for issuing a notice of violation.
- Submit a water waste report using the online form.
- Call the Conservation Hotline at (951) 727-3521
- Download the E-Citizen mobile app onto your smart phone. Search for “E-Citizen”
- IPhone users click here
- Android users click here
- E-mail a photo, the description, and exact address where the water waste is occurring to savewater@jcsd.us.
Violations and Fines
JCSD will make every reasonable effort to contact customers regarding water use violations in an effort to gain compliance. Before penalties are issued, JCSD will utilize several methods including, but not limited to, personal contact, door hanger, letter, e-mail, or by phone to notify customers of any violation.
Fines are listed in the Water Shortage Contingency Plan under Article 10 Violations and Penalties.
Water suppliers that are found to be out of compliance by the State Water Resources Control Board are subject to various disciplinary actions including fines.
Can I be Fined for Having a Brown Lawn?
Many counties, cities, and homeowners associations (HOAs) have longstanding rules that help protect the visual appeal and property values of their neighborhoods. These regulations may include barring properties from having brown lawns and issuing fines to violators. As California endures its fourth year of drought, during the summer, Governor Jerry Brown signed into legislation two separate laws that prohibit local agencies and HOAs from fining homeowners who have brown lawns when the Governor or local agency declares a state of emergency due to a drought. Section 4735(c) of the California Civil Code prohibits HOAs from fining property owners for having brown lawns, while Section 8627.7 of the California Government Code prohibits local agencies from doing the same.
While both of these laws protect homeowners who have brown lawns during the drought, they do not prohibit local agencies and HOAs from issuing citations to those who do not maintain their landscape. For specific regulations regarding the maintenance of landscapes, review the regulations that govern your city or HOA, if applicable.
Questions?
If you have any questions regarding drought regulations or water conservation programs, please call the Conservation Hotline at (951) 727-8002.