EMWD Notes Progress in Residents' Water Conservation

Before and after views of lawns like this might be extreme, but EMWD officials leave the final decision up to residents in the sacrifices they make in trying to conserve outdoor water use. Menifee 24/7 photo: Doug Spoon

Although the Eastern Municipal Water District has not limited its customers to certain days of the week for outdoor watering, EMWD officials want to remind Menifee residents of its suggested water restrictions and to thank them for their efforts in conserving water.

Some neighboring water districts have enacted more severe limitations on outdoor water use. Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, which serves Lake Elsinore and parts of Canyon Lake and Murrieta, has a mandatory schedule limiting such water use. Residents with addresses ending in odd numbers may only water outside on Monday and Thursday. Even numbered addresses may water only on Tuesday and Friday. Sprinkler systems may only be turned on after 6 p.m. and before 6 a.m.

While EMWD has not gone to that extreme for Menifee residents, strict guidelines are in place to comply with a ruling by the State Water Resources Control board that this service area must reduce usage by 28 percent compared to 2013 figures. According to EMWD spokesman Kevin Pearson, EMWD customers did reduce usage by 27 percent in May compared to 2013 figures, though May 2015 had cooler weather and some rain, so the numbers were skewed.

"At this time, EMWD is asking its customers to reduce outdoor irrigation by 50 percent," Pearson wrote in an email to Menifee 24/7. "More than half of all residential water use in our region is for outdoor irrigation.

"We are not currently telling customers what days they have to water or the number of days. For some customers (especially those with slopes on their properties), it may be more efficient to continue watering multiple days, but in shorter cycles. Other customers may prefer to water twice a week for the same length as they have previously done. We are leaving those decisions in the hands of our customers."

Pearson emphasized that the greatest area of sacrifice expected is in watering lawns. Customers are told to do what is necessary to keep trees and shrubs sufficiently watered, but it is expected that there will be some browning of lawns.

Residents have expressed concern to EMWD and Menifee 24/7 about letting their lawns brown or die -- especially those governed by Homeowner Association rules. But Assembly Bill 2100, signed into law by Gov. Brown last July, prohibits HOAs from fining residents if they let their lawn go. Of course, the goal is to keep lawns from dying. In some cases, hand watering of brown spots is encouraged over sprinkler use that can have wasteful run-off.

Pearson said EMWD is in Stage 4, the highest level or urgency in its Water Shortage Contingency Plan, reducing the amount of water customers may use before facing additional fees. For details, visit the EMWD website here.

EMWD has also made changes to its Administrative Code that will eliminate non-functional turf in future development, including the front lawns of newly constructed homes.

"This is in sequence with the state’s decision to prohibit overhead spray sprinklers in new development," Pearson said. "These actions will create a much more sustainable template as we move forward."

Pearson also took the time to thank EMWD customers for their help in addressing the problem.

"Our customers have done a great job conserving and we hope they are able to continue to do so," Pearson said. "We know it is a sacrifice and we appreciate their partnership in this process."