Water Conservation

Print

Font Size: + -

Water Conservation Rules are in Effect

Southern California is experiencing severe drought conditions. The City of West Hollywood is urging water customers to adhere to restrictions and conservation practices to reduce water use to help preserve the region’s water storage reserves in response to extreme drought conditions.

West Hollywood residents and businesses are served by two water utility companies. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) serves most areas of the City and Beverly Hills Water serves certain areas on the west side of the City. Both utilities encourage their customers to continue to use water efficiently.

All water customers — residential and commercial — are now limited to two-day-a-week outdoor watering as well as other water use restrictions, as follows:

LADWP customers are required to maintain a three-day-a-week watering schedule:

Customers with street addresses ending in odd numbers may water on Mondays and Fridays before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
Customers with street addresses ending in even numbers may water on Thursdays and Sundays before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
LADWP rules call for no watering between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., regardless of the day. More information about watering days is available at www.ladwp.com/wateringdays.

Beverly Hills Water customers are required to maintain a two-day-a-week watering schedule:

Customers in locations north of Santa Monica Boulevard may water on Monday and Friday before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
Customers in locations south of Santa Monica Boulevard may water on Tuesdays and Saturdays before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
Beverly Hills Water rules call for no watering between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., regardless of the day. Supplemental watering for trees is permitted. More information is available at www.bhsaves.org.

New restrictions also include two recommended practices: the use of pool covers to prevent evaporation, and the washing of vehicles at commercial car wash facilities. Hand watering is allowed every day during permitted hours if the hose is equipped with a self-closing water shut-off device.

Existing water conservation practices continue to be in place:

Limiting outdoor watering with sprinklers to eight minutes per station on permitted watering days
Watering with sprinklers using water-conserving nozzles for up to 15 minutes, twice a day, on the permitted watering day
No water should flow off of property
No water should leak from any pipe or fixture
No watering within 48 hours after a measurable rain event
No hosing of driveway or sidewalk
No washing of vehicles using a hose without a self-closing nozzle

The City of West Hollywood is urging water customers to adhere to restrictions and conservation practices to voluntarily reduce water use to help preserve the region’s water storage reserves in response to extreme drought conditions. More than half of the water used in Southern California is imported from the Northern Sierra and the Colorado River. Both of those sources are facing severe drought conditions; crucial storage reservoirs have never been lower.

The Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors has declared a Water Shortage Emergency calling for consumers and businesses to reduce water use and help preserve the region’s storage reserves. The West Basin Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors has moved to activate its Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WCSP) and declare a Water Shortage Emergency for the service area representing nearly one million people in 17 cities and unincorporated areas in Los Angeles County, including West Hollywood.

The City of West Hollywood offers tips for saving water on its website at www.weho.org/waterconservation. Visit the State of California’s “Save Our Water” drought action website at https://drought.ca.gov to learn about being drought-aware and using water wisely.

As part of efforts to encourage water conservation, the City of West Hollywood, in 2015, produced an Emmy Award-winning 60-second public service announcement (PSA) video called “Winter is Coming! But the Drought is Far From Over.” Designed as a mock TV-series preview trailer, the PSA is based on the hit HBO series Game of Thrones and takes viewers on a dramatic journey — instead of traveling through the mythical land of Westeros, viewers travel on a storybook tour of what a fictional West Hollywood may look like if the drought continues.

Keep It Dirty

The City’s Keep it Dirty campaign features provocative water conservation messages with a soapy stud, a burly beefcake, a little red dress, and stilettos in the driver’s seat. Each image comes complete with an expressive water conservation message. Advertising is featured in local publications and on transit-shelter ads located throughout the City of West Hollywood.

The campaign features four distinct messages that encourage community members to use less water and #bethesolution:

Keep it dirty — Wash your car monthly instead of weekly and save up to 4,000 gallons of water each year;
Go full frontal — Upgrade to a front-loading high-efficiency washer for water savings and rebates;
Have a morning quickie — Keep your showers to 5 minutes or less and save up to 15 gallons of water each time;
Go fully loaded — Wash only full loads of dishes and save up to 50 gallons of water per week.

Keep-It-Dirty1 Full-Frontal1 Morning-Quickie1 Fully-Loaded1

Water conservation tips and information about rebate programs are available at the following websites:

LADWP is also urging customers to take advantage of the many water- and money-saving rebates and programs available to both residential and commercial customers. Residential customers can find a comprehensive list of rebates and programs, including rebates for efficient clothes washers, toilets, and turf replacement, at www.ladwp.com/save. Commercial customers can visit www.ladwp.com/cwr for rebates and programs.

For more information from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, please contact the LADWP Customer Contact Center at 1-800-DIAL DWP (1-800-342-5397). For more information from Beverly Hills Water, please contact Beverly Hills Public Works Customer Service at (310) 285-2467 or at askpw@beverlyhills.org.

For more information, contact the City of West Hollywood, Department of Public Works at (323) 848-6375.

Tips for saving water:

Sweep, Don’t Hose — Use a broom to sweep sidewalks and pathways instead of using a hose to wash down these areas. When washing cars, use a bucket and remember to never leave a hose running. Use a hand-held hose equipped with a shut-off nozzle for quick rinses. As an alternative, take your car to a commercial car wash; car washes recycle wash water. Please remember that hosing water on sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, tennis courts, patios or other paved areas, except to alleviate immediate fire, sanitation or health hazards is not allowed in the City of West Hollywood.

Take Shorter Showers and Use Less Water in Baths — Taking five-minute showers instead of 10-minute showers will save 12.5 gallons each time with a low-flow showerhead and will save 25 gallons each time with a standard showerhead. Filling a bathtub only halfway can save 12 gallons, or more.

Use Water-Efficient Fixtures and Appliances — Connect low-flow showerheads and use aerators on faucets to save water. Install a high-efficiency toilet. When doing laundry, use the washing machine only for full loads to save water and energy. Install a water-conserving dishwasher and run it only when it is full. When washing dishes by hand, do not let water run.

Check Sprinklers and Don’t Overwater — Water early in the morning or later in the evening when temperatures are cooler to reduce evaporation. Make sure sprinkler heads are functioning properly and ensure there are no leaks in irrigation systems. Switch to drip irrigation to reduce water use.

Save Our Water - Save Our Water is a statewide program aimed at helping Californians reduce their everyday water use. Created in 2009 as a partnership between the Association of California Water Agencies and the California Department of Water Resources, the program offers ideas and inspiration for permanently reducing water use – regardless of whether California is in a drought.

To review the City's Municipal Code, visit:

Chapter 15.52 Water Conservation Plan