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If you live in California, you need to start being more mindful about using water. It could soon cost you, according to Mercury News.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration is looking into some proposed rules around water use in California as a serious drought plagues the Golden State. Violators could get fines up to $500 for wasting water, according to reporters.
Under the new rules by the State Water Resources Board, it would be illegal to do these actions in California:
- Water landscaping so that "more than incidental runoff" flows into a road, sidewalk, or parking lot.
- Wash a vehicle with a hose unless the hose has a shut-off nozzle.
- Hose off sidewalks, driveways, patios and buildings "except in cases where health and safety are at risk."
- Water grass or landscaping within 48 hours of rain.
- Use water in decorative fountains or ponds unless they have a pump to recirculate it.
- Irrigate grass on street medians with potable water.
- Use potable water for street cleaning or construction "unless no other method can be used to protect the health and safety of the public."
Several counties and cities have similar rules in place before the rollout. Reporters noted, however, is that rules vary too much and there's "little enforcement."
Eric Oppenheimer, chief deputy director for the State Water Resources Control Board, says this is something officials did during the last drought. Water conservation experts say this is a long time coming, especially in the wake of climate change.
“We are experiencing hotter, drier droughts in more frequent cycles," according to Newsha Ajami, a civil engineer and director of Stanford University’s Urban Water Policy Program. "This is our new normal. We have to seriously reevaluate how to use our water."