Arroyo Grande sets water usage restrictions

Newsom urges all Californians to cut water use by 15%

Yet another California town has set water usage restrictions after declaring a Stage 1 Water Shortage Emergency.

Despite the recent storms and increase of reservoir levels, Arroyo Grande residents primarily receive their drinking water from Lopez Lake, which sits at less than 30% capacity. As a result, Arroyo Grande residents are now being required to reduce their water usage.

See the full report from KSBY News 6 here:

Arroyo Grande sets water usage restrictions (ksby.com)

Back when the drought happened in 2015, the city put an ordinance in place with triggers to track if it were to happen again.

“One of those triggers is when Lake Lopez gets to 15,000 acre feet of water,” McDonald explained.

“This is the second drought I’ve been through. From 2015 through 2017, we dropped to 11,000 acre feet and we pulled out of the drought about 26,000,” said Shane Taylor, City of Arroyo Grande Utilities Manager.

Customers will receive a letter by next month with their required water allotment.

If residents don’t comply, they’ll get a notice in February and March of next year. If they still don’t comply, they’ll be fined $50 increasing incrementally up to $200.

There’s an option to attend Water School in lieu of that first penalty.

Excerpt taken on 11/5/21 from KSBY Arroyo Grande sets water usage restrictions (ksby.com)

Updating your landscaping and reducing your irrigation is a great place to start. The majority of bluebot users can quickly identify other major water wasters throughout their property with live water data and the ability to set custom alerts based on your goals.

If your city implements a water shortage warning and sets usage restrictions, you can use the bluebot budgeting functionality to keep track on your progress throughout the month and avoid being penalized for using more than your household is allotted.