Grover Beach Encourages Additional Water Conservation Given Drought Conditions

Grover Beach, CA — In light of the worsening drought, Grover Beach residents are reminded about the need to follow all mandatory water conservation measures and to be mindful of everyday water consumption. Below-average rainfall has significantly impacted the City’s principal water sources, Lopez Lake and the Santa Maria Groundwater Basin, along with other water sources in San Luis Obispo County and across California. Water conservation is necessary to help Grover Beach preserve water resources as we work with other cities in our region to create additional water supply for our community.

“Given drought conditions, every member of our community has a role to play in conserving water,” said Grover Beach Mayor Jeff Lee. “While Grover Beach residents use less water per capita than the statewide average, we need to do more as a community and small changes in daily habits can make a big difference.”

Along with the local drought emergency declaration issued by the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors on July 13, the City Council issued a Stage 1 Water Shortage Declaration issued by the Council on April 26 to initiate water saving measures necessitated by the reduced supply. The Stage 1 condition is primarily based on public education and voluntary conservation measures. The City has already notified customers of permanent water waste prohibitions enacted as part of this declaration, including:

• All use of water which results in excessive gutter runoff and use of water for cleaning driveways, patios, parking lots, sidewalks, streets or other such uses except as necessary to protect public health or safety.

• Outdoor irrigation between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and outdoor water use for washing vehicles unless it is attended with use of hand-held automatic shut-off watering devices.

• Use of potable water for compaction or dust control purposes in construction activities unless no other source of water is available or upon approval by staff.

• Emptying and refilling of swimming pools and commercial spas, except to prevent structural damage and/or to protect public health or safety.

While the Stage 1 condition does not involve any mandatory water use reductions, all residential water customers are assigned a monthly baseline amount of water based upon previous consumption and encouraged to reduce this amount by 15% in order to avoid more restrictive measures. The following everyday practices will help reduce household water consumption, and may ultimately result in cost savings in addition to easing the strain on local water supply:

• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.

• Install water-saving appliances.

• Take shorter showers.

• Reduce laundry loads.

• Fix household leaks.

Water conservation is critical to meeting our community’s water needs today while we work to secure additional water sources including the Central Coast Blue recycled water project. The City continues to work with other local agencies to develop this project to provide long-term water supply reliability and minimize the risk of seawater intrusion into the groundwater supply.