Water Conservation

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Governor Newsom Calls on Californians to Take Simple Actions to Conserve Water

On July 08, 2021, Governor Newsom signed an Executive Order calling on all Californians to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15 percent compared to 2020 levels through simple actions such as reducing landscape irrigation, running dishwashers and washing machines only when full, finding and fixing leaks, installing water-efficient showerheads and taking shorter showers.

State officials estimate an additional 15 percent voluntary reduction by urban water users from 2020 levels could save as much as 850,000 acre-feet of water over the next year for future use, or enough to supply more than 1.7 million households for a year.

The State Water Resources Control Board and the Department of Water Resources will monitor progress on voluntary conservation, reservoir storage, soil moisture and other metrics in the coming months to determine whether additional drought response actions are needed.

For more information, visit the Save Our Water website for water reduction tips.

Every Drop Counts

California will always face water shortages despite the amount of rain and snowfall received. To ensure there is sufficient water for everyone, the State of California requires that we each reduce the amount of water we use by 20%.

City of Commerce and Cal Water Adopted a New State Order for Water Conservation & Stage 2 Water Restrictions.

Water users in the City of Commerce must comply with the following water use restrictions:

Outdoor watering of landscapes will be limited to 3 days per week with assigned watering days based on even and odd numbered addresses as follows:
1. Customers with even-numbered addresses may irrigate on Saturdays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays
2. Customers with odd-numbered addresses may irrigate on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
3. Customers without a street address may irrigate on Saturdays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
Outdoor watering times will be prohibited between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
All leaks, breaks or other malfunctions in the water user’s plumbing fixture(s) or irrigation system(s) must be repaired within 3 business days of a written notification to repair it.
No watering of driveways and sidewalks.
No outdoor watering during or within 48 hours of measurable rainfall.
No serving of drinking water where food and drinks are served and at hotels unless requested by a customer.
No public median island landscape irrigating.
Operators of hotels/motels must provide guests with the option of choosing not to have towels and linens laundered daily.
No re-filling and initial filling of single-family residential swimming pools or outdoor spas with potable water, except to maintain required operating levels of existing pools and spas or as a result of completing structural repairs to the swimming pool or outdoor spa.

The City will educate and warn water users of potential penalties for non compliance for repeated violations as follows:

First Violation: The City will issue a written warning and deliver a copy of the City Water Conservation Ordinance by mail.
Second Violation: A second violation within any consecutive twelve (12) month period is punishable by a fine not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100).
Third Violation: A third violation within any consecutive twelve (12) month period is punishable by a fine not to exceed two hundred dollars ($200).

Subsequent violations within any consecutive twelve (12) month period are punishable by a fine not to exceed five hundred ($500).

For questions about your water usage, bill or to inquire about resources, please contact Cal Water Customer Center at (323) 722 - 8601 or visit Calwater. For all other water related program questions, please contact the City of Commerce Department of Public Works Operations at (323) 722-4805, ext. 4451.

Helpful Tips to Reduce Water Usage

Adjust your sprinklers. Check regularly for broken or clogged sprinkler heads and replace them right away and save up to five gallons of water per minute. Make sure you are watering your yard and not the driveway or sidewalk.
Defrost frozen food in the refrigerator, not under running water.
Don't let the water run. Make sure you turn off the water while you brush your teeth, wash dishes, or shave, to save water and money.
Eliminate runoff. Don't overwater your lawn. This causes water to run off into storm drains.
Fix those leaks. Just a drip can waste more than 10,000 gallons per month. A leaking flapper on a toilet also increases flows at the water treatment plant.
Plant native species or drought-tolerant plants. Many of the lawns and plants we use are not intended for the unique climate in Southern California. Visit your local nursery for information on types of plants and trees to plant and save up to 750 gallons of water each month. Use mulch around plants to reduce water evaporation.
Schedule your lawn watering. Contact your water service company to obtain the irrigation schedule for your area (or see irrigation schedule link above). Also, install a sprinkler control system to regulate the use of water and prevent runoff. Don't water on cool, rainy, or windy days.
Take shorter showers. Cutting two minutes off your shower time can save 600 gallons a month for a family of four. Also, change the shower head to a water-efficient model to save even more water and money.
Upgrade toilets. Replace toilets with low-water usage dual flush toilets.
Use a broom instead of a hose. Sweeping rather than hosing off leaves or grass clippings not only saves water, it reduces runoff.
Use an adjustable hose nozzle for outdoor use. You can then adjust the spray to meet your needs. A hose running for five minutes uses the same amount of water as a 20-minute shower.
Wash only full loads of laundry. Waiting until you have a full load can save you up to 20 gallons for the same amount of clean clothes. Replace washers and dryers with Energy Star® models that save energy.
Use a pool cover. It will help cut down on evaporation and the pool will not have to be refilled as often.
Wash your car commercially. If you wash your vehicle at a commercial car wash, they recycle the water used.
For more water saving tips visit: Central Basin and Cal Water
For water related news updates, conservation tips, and more visit: Be Water Wise

Fun Water Facts for Kids

Water Conservation Games for Kids

A message from the California Water Service Company

How State Water Conservation Regulations Affect Cal Water Customers

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has adopted a resolution requiring us to notify you of your prohibited water uses established by the State Water Resources Control Board in July 2014 in response to severe drought conditions:

Do not apply potable water to outdoor landscapes in a manner that causes runoff onto adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, private and public walkways, roadways parking lots, or structures.
Do not wash a motor vehicle with potable water using a water hose, unless that hose is fitted with a shut-of nozzle or another attachment that stops water from flowing when the hose is not immediately in use.
Do not use potable water on any driveways and sidewalks.
Do not use potable water in a fountain or other decorative water feature, unless the water is part of a recirculating system.

The CPUC also authorized us to use various tools to enforce these restrictions, including flow-restricting devices and discontinuance of service. Local enforcement agencies may also impose fines of up $500. We prefer to avoid using these enforcement tools if at all possible; however, we will be required to take action if a customer repeatedly violates these restrictions.

Please visit www.calwater.com/drought for updated information about the prohibited water uses, other unauthorized water uses, and mandatory outdoor irrigation restrictions in our Water Conservation and Rationing Plan (Rule 14.1 in our tariff). We also encourage you to take advantage of conservation programs available to Cal Water customers and listed on our web site.

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