In its recent filing with the state, Santa Clarita Water Division officials stated their “stress test” confirmed there’s a reliable water supply to meet local demands for the next three years, according to water officials.

In addition to removing the mandatory water conservation target, Santa Clarita Water customers no longer are restricted by which days they can water their landscapes.

While the state-sanctioned limits have been lifted, appreciative water officials are asking their customers to keep an eye on conservation, and noted there are some restrictions still being imposed as a result of the drought.

“Our customers did a great job saving water when it was really needed over the last two years. Although we have removed mandatory restrictions, we are reminding customers that the drought hasn’t ended in California and saving water remains a good practice,” said Retail Manager Keith Abercrombie.  “We also need to keep saving water in order to meet another state law passed in 2009 that requires us to permanently reduce our overall water demand by 20 percent by 2020.”

Santa Clarita Water Division (SCWD) officials have eliminated drought-related mandatory conservation targets, including watering day schedules, after informing state officials that it has sufficient water to meet anticipated customer needs should the drought continue three more years.

Although mandatory water-use limits are gone, Santa Clarita Water officials are encouraging customers to continue saving water in order to meet another conservation mandate by 2020 and to help eliminate water waste.

Santa Clarita Water, the retail division of the Castaic Lake Water Agency, previously was under a state mandate to reduce water use by 32 percent from 2013 levels because of California’s lingering severe drought.

In May, California water officials modified the statewide water reduction mandate and provided the ability for local agencies to evaluate their supply and demand using specific criteria established by the State Board.

Under the new state rule, local water agencies were required to establish their own mandatory water restrictions if an agency’s projections showed they would not have adequate water supplies should the drought continue for three more years.

Abercrombie said it’s important to note that some state regulations remain in place to prohibit wasteful uses of water for all Californians.  These include:

•  No washing a motor vehicle with a hose, unless the hose is fitted with a shut off nozzle;
•  No irrigating turf or ornamental landscapes during and 48 hours following measurable precipitation;
•  No washing down sidewalks and driveways;
•  No watering outdoor landscapes in a manner that causes excess runoff;
•  No operating a fountain or decorative water feature, unless the water is part of a recirculating system; and
•  Restaurants and other food service establishments can only serve water to customers on request.

Santa Clarita Water encourages its customers to continue to utilize the many water-saving tips found on its website, to take advantage of rebates on devices that save water and energy, and other conservation programs.

The above information was provided in a news release from the Santa Clarita Water Division.

About the Santa Clarita Water Division

Santa Clarita Water is a division of the Castaic Lake Water Agency (SCWD). SCWD is a water retailer that serves approximately 123,000 people with over 30,000 service connections in portions of the City of Santa Clarita in the communities of Canyon Country, Newhall, and Saugus and unincorporated portions of Los Angeles County. SCWD supplies water from local groundwater sources and CLWA imported water. www.scwater.org.