The Antelope Valley Times

Your community. Your issues. Your news.

Palmdale Water District issues emergency water conservation restrictions

by •

Outdoor watering will be limited to two days per week – Wednesdays and Saturdays, but not between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., according to the Palmdale Water District's emergency drought water conservation initiative.
Outdoor watering will be limited to two days per week – Wednesdays and Saturdays, but not between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., according to the Palmdale Water District’s emergency drought water conservation initiative.

PALMDALE – The Palmdale Water District board of directors unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday implementing a Stage 3 emergency drought water conservation initiative.

The resolution mandates that water usage is focused on essential functions for domestic purposes, sanitation, fire prevention and public health and safety, rather than outdoor watering, according to the Palmdale Water District.

The Palmdale Water District service area must reduce water consumption by 32 percent by Feb. 28, 2016, or face penalties totaling $10,000 per day for non-compliance, officials said in a press release.

“This resolution is a rallying call to all residents here in Palmdale and the Greater Antelope Valley to work together as a community to conserve water,” stated Kathy Mac Laren, president of the Palmdale Water District board of directors. “We are all in this together, including me and the other board members. We know that this is a great challenge for us all, but I know we will be successful.”

The resolution becomes effective Monday, June 1. Outdoor watering will be limited to two days per week – Wednesdays and Saturdays, but not between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Watering will not be permitted 48 hours after a measurable rainfall. And the resolution implements a drought surcharge of 45 cents per unit for customers whose water consumption reaches Tiers 2-6, which is considered non-essential water usage. [View the resolution here.]

The District will assess water waste fines under the guidance of the Urban Water Management Plan through a four step process:

  1. Documented warning
  2. $50 fine
  3. $500 fine
  4. Water disconnection.

For more information on the District’s Emergency Water Conservation restrictions, visit www.palmdalewater.org. The District is accepting water waste tips from concerned residents at 661-456-1099 or waste@palmdalewater.org.

“Our residents are used to doing more with less. They have perseverance and a strong sense of community,” stated Robert Alvarado, director of the Palmdale Water Board. “What we are asking them to do is to keep trimming water use where possible and help to educate friends and neighbors about water conservation practices.”

[Information via press release from the Palmdale Water District.]

Related stories:

County postpones vote on penalties for water wasters

Quartz Hill Water District to enforce mandatory restrictions

PWD water conservation measures effective Aug. 1

Filed Under: Palmdale

68 comments for "Palmdale Water District issues emergency water conservation restrictions"

  1. We have been using paper and plastic utensils, never water pur grass, as the water conversation was killing it. I only take showers twice a week. We conserve energy, and pur pool is kept up and hardly fill it.. that I see is that same with gas is anytime something of the weather situation that causes us to conserve or the price hikes go up is because people want more money I’m talking about city of ficials I’m talking about politicians and how could they let the rain water just flow into the sewers they need to find a way to harness the rains and floods and rewrite them into our water districts to help bring water into our community. I have grown up out here live my whole life out here and this is the most pathetic situation anybody in our community can face I go to the mall you notice that all the grass is dying why won’t the city just pay for people to let us to have at least fake grass or do a desert landscape the kind of help the water conservation they tell us to conserve energy we conserve energy how much more do we need to conserve we can serve anymore we’re going to end up living in the Western days using propane lanterns. Come on politicians get your act together. When it comes to conserving water the city gets fined and then the city gets fined in the people get fine it’s not the people people conserving water it’s the city that allows industries and businesses to waste water and it’s the people in the community who feel the wrath for example a little sprinkler head leaks out while watering your grass at the $500 fine but you got hotels and you got landscaping companies and you have plazas that all used water what about them do they get fined? What about the lake that sits over there by the freeway on Avenue West doesn’t that get fed from the water district is well I just said that there’s a lot of contradiction going on and no one wants to take responsibility so they’re going to pass it on to the people who live in the community.

    • The water that goes into the ground comes back up from wells, and requires a lot less treatment to be usable than it would if we just sucked it out of the gutters.

  2. Our home built in 2005, grass was installed back then. It became patches of grass. we wanted to put in artificial grass and desert landscape. well the City said we had to have real grass for a year then take it all out if we wanted artificial. We put in grass 6 months ago to please the city. Now grass is dying due to the cutbacks. I believe the city made a big mistake telling us to put in real grass. we are out quite a bit of money GRASS IS DYING HAVING TO WATER 2 DAYS A WEEK. Now what! do we get a refund for the really stupid decision of the cities part. Now we let the grass die loosing a lot of money. What now? Is this a logical decision of the cities part. what was wrong with artificial landscape. Palmdale wake up!…

  3. I cut back 40% 2 years ago. I already only take a shower 2 times a week. I have a pool and I cannot control evaporation. I do laundry only once a month. I let all my clothes get dirty before I do laundry so I have more to put in each load. I wash everything together to save, no separation whites with colors. So according to this now. I have to cut back more. That is not fair for those of us that already cut back 2 years ago and have already been living a cut back. I also have 3 more people in my house now… Tell me… Should I stop showering and wear dirty clothes just to conform? There has to be some kind of balance. Please show me something fair!

    -Jerry

    • I’ve started using paper plates and not using the garbage disposer for anything that I can throw in the trash. I just run it occasionally to keep it clean.

      The state should stop allowing new home construction until this drought is over if that ever happens.

      Golf courses should be mandated to go to artificial grass.

      Older homes should have to be retrofitted with hot water recirculating pumps and low flow toilets and faucets before being sold, if not already mandated.

      Lawns should be replaced with low water use landscaping when houses are sold.

      If this drought is as serious and long term as it now appears to be, the above should be considered along with not allowing high water use by certain agricultural crops, especially since most of that produce is shipped out of state. It’s tantamount to shipping our water out of state.

  4. As it stands when I bought my house ~6 yrs. ago, I wanted NO MORE LAWN cutting/raking/weeding :( I was so done with that. I put in a desert landscape with flowering red yuccas, Texas rangers, etc. and cactus plants that have beautiful flowers, plus a small garden, never had to pay more than the service charge for water. What ever you plant just be water wise before you buy…and see if they still give cash for grass???

    • According to their latest post on the website, May 26, 2015, they are looking for proposals from contractors. I did not see any notification to the paying public.

  6. Nature is reminding us that the Antelope Valley is part of the Mojave Desert. Too many developers were allowed to ignored that. Let’s try keeping our trees and bushes alive even if we have to replace sod later.

    Wouldn’t it be nice if all new homes required foot pedals at kitchen sinks to supplement regular faucets? Users could easily lift their foot off the pedal to stop the water flow when reaching for the soap or next dish to rinse for example.

    Wouldn’t it be nice if all new homes required outdoor clotheslines of some sort? Sunshine dries towels really nicely. They can be fluffed in the dryer if needed. The clotheslines could be retractable or fold-down racks that are out of sight when not in use. Many homeowners would use them for saving electricity.

    • Wouldn’t it be nice if developers had been charged fees that would have paid for building desalinization plants instead of letting them pocket the immense profits…which of course they used to bribe the local community “leaders” who approved their plans.

      • Yeah, and guess who would have paid for it — anyone who bought a house, if they could still afford to by the time you tack on another fee. It’s always so easy to try to pass the buck, but we all pay for it in the end. Would you have rather that the “leaders” who approved the plans passed it off to you as a homebuyer? The plant is San Diego is running $1 Billion — yowza!

        • Yes, the price would have been passed on to home buyers…who are going to end up paying the price anyway in either water bills or property taxes. But in the course of paying for a house WITH water the home buyers would NOT have made the developers and their buddies the planning commissioners, city managers, and our favorite mayor filthy rich as well while buying a house WITHOUT water.

          Maybe Lancaster and Palmdale wouldn’t have grown ten fold over the past three decades and would have been able to keep up the appropriate infrastructure, besides water. Slower growth wouldn’t have hurt anyone except the people lining their pockets and moving on.

          There is no FREE water, no matter what you do. So yeah, we are all going to pay for it anyway.

    • Trees and bushes are what I water, lawn is long gone.
      Currently using a small pot to catch wash water as I clean the dishes, then out to the bushes.
      I have tried a clothesline but the dust is too intense in my area most days.

  7. if our state leaders were not so worried about trains and fish and cared about ppl
    then we might put more dams and such to save more water but they just want to get your money and there BS gas taxes we all need to vote the them out of office but too many dumb people live here and will never get it

    • I keep hearing how we need more dams. I have noticed that most of the current ones have been at less than 50% capacity for a few years now. The problem is we need more snow in the mountains, the government should get right on that! Install snow makers everywhere and then pipe desalinated water up there to make snow! Then the dams will be full of water in a few years time.

      Full on sarcasm!

  8. The article states that each household has to cut back I believe 35 percent or face fines. I live on the East side of Palmdale and two years ago I put new sod in. I live off $350.00 a month and there is no way I can remove my grass and replace it with cement or rocks…I just don’t have the finances to do so. I cherish my grass and the flowers. I am so sad, I literally mourn at the site of not only the East side of Palmdale, but also the West, even though the West isn’t as bad YET. I believe we are in a drought and I will do my part to obey the rules. SO…I had to ask myself, “What is more important to ne, my yard and the upkeep of it or my washing machine”?
    My lawn is.
    To cut back my 35 percent I will start washing at the laundrymat tomorrow and from here on so that I can keep my grass green. I will pay about $50.00) a month to do so but by doing this, I will be cutting back a good 35 percent. I don’t like the rules either but I love my grass and I will not let it die while all the top officials have beautifully cared for green lawns. Step outside your door and take a LONG look, the Antelope Valley is falling apart. Find other ways to cut back so that you can keep your grass GREEN.

  9. Fresh water used for fire? Is sea water flammable now or what? Besides, vegetation consumes water that would otherwise be soaking in to reach the water table. Which makes me wonder why I watched helicopters fill up with lake Elizabeth (RIP) water, over n over again for several years to dump on the unpopulated forest areas. Pacific Ocean IS right there…isn’t it?

    • All of this makes one wonder how long before we get stuck with meters to pay for the air we breathe…
      Hey, maybe I will be the one to make it happen and be RICH! Or…how does it get decided who gets the profits on natural resources…? Whoever figures out how to harness, meter, and distribute it, right?

      • Considering that the water we drink does not come straight out of the ground and piped directly to us but must be pumped, filtered, treated, transported etc, charging for it is not far fetched.

        You are always welcome to move to a rural area that has a well system but even then you will be paying for maintenance of that system for years to come. If a pipe breaks, you are the one who gets to pay for it. If it gets contaminated you are the one would will pay for treatment.

    • Ever heard how the Romans, after burning Carthage to the ground, salted the earth so nothing would ever grow there again? Dumping seawater is an effective way to salt the earth.

      By the way, when I was in Tokyo they had vending machines where you could get some quantity of filtered clean air, so you may have been beaten to the marketplace on the selling air business.

    • Forest and Lake Elizabeth are right next to each other. Trip to ocean, even as the raven flies is over 15 minutes away by helicopter. All of that travel distance is a waste of fuel, time and an increase in hazards to the flight crew (machine wear, wind buffeting with a load, etc.).

      Fires near the ocean range do use the ocean as a water source.

        • In large amounts, yup. Salt is created on land though and then distributes itself back to the sea with each rain.

  10. interesting…twice a week lol! what a joke, let me guess property taxes increases are next! sounds like a case of Gentrification to me.

    • Prop 13 doesn’t allow for property taxes to be raised in such a manner. Besides water districts are separate entities and are not tied into property taxes at all. That is why we are charged for water. There can be assessments but those are different.

  11. Just got back from palm springs everything is green there no restrictions? Seems like the rich golf community is not getting any blame, not to mention the time share resorts that hose down everything every morning.

  12. Didn’t the Idiot California voters just vote in another useless tax to fix this problem? Just another reason to leave California …

  13. If we could find a cheap way to separate salt from sea water, that would mean all the people in 3rd world countries could have all the salt they wanted for free.

    • There aready are salt removing water purification machine’s and 3rd world countries do use them.

    • Dumb AND blind, eh?

      Fits.

      Soooooo…do you think they drain and refill the pools at Drytown every night, or just once or twice a week?

  15. How about all these people with water keys and unregulated water? I see people in water trucks taking thousands of gallons of water to their properties every other day and they aren’t farmers!

  16. i repourpose left over water bottles to wash my car windows (since i park on the street and my car is covered in dust/dirt constantly already), and/or pour it on the lawn, along with leftover gatorades, beer, whatever. am i gonna get fined for buying water to pour on my lawn on a tuesday?

  17. We have been conserving water not flushing, I keep stopper in kitchen sink so we save for dish washing, use bath tub to collect shower water, then recycle to plants. Wash a full load of clothes. Have to try and break bad habits like letting water run into sink brushing teeth. Not easy.
    We can try.

  18. Please explain why we have to water on specific days. I water when the wind is not blowing so the water does not blow off the area intended. If we are having a crazy wind storm on a Saturday, I’m not going to water until Sunday! Am I going to get fined for that? Also, what difference does it matter if we water 2 days for an hour or 6 days for 10 minutes?! It’s the same amount of water!
    We as citizens have had our rights taken from us. All of the utilities use “Smart” meters now. The electric company charges us more if we use too much during the day, the gas company is now charging me monthly for a smart meter, and the water company is not allowing me to water on certain days even though I have reduced water consumption for years! I also live in the highest tier for PWD and have heard that tier charging is illegal. IT DOES NOT COST ANY MORE FOR A PUMP TO PUMP UP HILL THAT ACROSS TOWN. A PUMP DOES NOT KNOW WHICH WAY IT IS PUMPING!! Your tiers are bogus!

  19. Dead trees, dry weeds and blowing dust are going to be fantastic for property values. Once the wasteland look takes hold here, there will be no going back. I question the legality of these fines and the purported right of these “authorities” to demand that an individual damage and diminish their own property without recompense. There needs to be additional challenge through the courts. It isn’t like any individual can make a CHOICE over who delivers the water in the city – or elsewhere in California – unless you own a well. Tiered rates have already been challenged in California, and found to be illegal – so what gives?

  20. Since we will be cutting back our water use even more, I expect my monthly bill to be cut/less too. Don’t go changing the way you calculate uses like you done in the pass. Less water means less bill and maybe pay cut or layoffs starting at the top at Palmdale Water. You will have to find a way to deal with less just like the public.

    • yeh, im guessing the usage reduction will still result in bill increase. there’s no way any water district is going to voluntarily lose money. if that were the case we wouldnt be reading about this right now. meanwhile we will continue to see stupid stuff like greeenery in shopping parking lots, sports fields/parks and palmdale breaking up concrete to install sprinkler systems and flowering plants

      • Sports fields and parks use reclaimed water so they have no effect on regular water sources. I suspect most recent commercial developments have a reclaimed water connection for their landscaping as well. If you want to cover the cost of running a connection from the reclaimed water system to your house you can water your grass to your heart’s content.

  21. I understand about reclaimed water being used for the park watering but what about the Schools? I have a school across from me and they water all the time. They water the parking lots and they even water after a big rain. I’ll let my lawn die after all the unused school grass areas Dies First!

  22. about 80% of the residents in Palmdale have cut the water use by 27% already- even though the other 20% fell entitled and overuse thier water – the real issue is with Gov. brown that requires Palmdale cut back 32 % and that means we will have cut back 60% – His office is unreasonable – I heard that their response to palmdale protesting this overreaching cut was “you live in the desert , so too bad ‘ Write that brown and tell him you problems with his unfair demands

  23. Speaking of ‘climate change’.

    What if climate change meant that the Antelope Valley had a cool and rainy summer?

    Now, THAT would be a change.

  24. Geeez!! I water my lawn, I get fined for wasting water.. I stop watering my lawn, then get brown spots and get fined due to curb appeal…. wtf!!! Come one city of palmdale !!!

  25. What about the farmers over on the east side of town who grow lawns professionally are they going to be only watering twice a week too??

  26. I’ve already been fined 100 bucks for a brown spon on my lawn (thank you officer Thompson) is the city going to continue handing out tickets to people who’s lawns aren’t green? Why isn’t the palmdale/lancaster cities adding at least 1 dollar per square foot of lawn removed? Why isn’t the state helping? The only cash for grass offer for water is coming from the water company at 2 bucks per square foot.

    • Does this apply to Littlerock? Duh, it applies to anyone who gets their water from Palmdale Water District.

      What about people on private wells? Are they expected to comply as well? Everyone is asked to conserve but if you have a private well you can pump as much as you like if you can pay the electricity bill.

      The masses are asses

      • Just a head’s up, even people with wells will be required to comply pretty soon. It hasn’t been finalized but I know for a fact it is working its way through the legislative red tape. How it will implementing is what is being debated. From what I have heard, it looks like well owners will be required to install flow meters.

    • If you pay your water bill to Palmdale Water District then yes. If you pay to Littlerock Water District they will have their own rules that are close to this. If you are like me and dealing with LACWPD then we wait and see what restrictions they decide upon after figuring out we are not urban, and many people have livestock and swamp coolers.

      • Thanks for your informative answer Greg…and John, why be so sarcastic. Littlerock is not Palmdale. We rent and do not pay the water bill so do not know the answer which is why I asked it…. We have no lawn, no dish washer or washer/dryer. We have a square foot garden that will die if I only water it 2 times a week…

  28. This is so bogus and such predatory towards the community. The city of Palmdale allow developers to put in green landscaping knowing full well what we the unsuspecting buyers did not. The city of Palmdale allowed developers to put in green landscaping knowing full well what we the unsuspecting buyers did not. Now We are forced to cut back to two days of watering which will not sustain the lawns we have spent thousands of dollars on since 2006, in these overprice houses that are not worth what we paid.
    I hear they’re doing rebates for rocks in the front, why has the city of Palmdale allowed the people selling the rocks to triple the price!!! Where exactly is the money supposed to come from we are already strapped & trapped in these upside down houses that NOW WILL HAVE NO LANSCAPE!!! REALLY…

    • Live in an apartment…. to hear a bunch of neighbors arguing and kids screaming…. no thanks.

    • Since when do you not have some form of water bill, they usually bundle it up with trash/sewer/water bill and whats worse is they take the whole block and divide it.

  32. There go the house values. Down below, they have a company that will take out the front yard lawn and xeriscape your front yard for whatever money the water district pays to have the grass taken out, with no requirements for what the xeriscape looks like. That means no cost to home owner. Up here, no one does that. Every landscaper I have called, to remove a 1,200 sq ft front lawn and xeriscape, wants the money I would get from the Palmdale Water District’s Grass for Cash program plus another minimum $2,400 more to xeriscape to the Palmdale Water District’s xeriscape requirements. Being on fixed income, I can’t afford the extra $2,400. Palmdale doesn’t do enough to help the people that want to get rid of their front lawn. If they pay you to get the grass torn out, their requirements for the new xeriscaping makes it too expensive to do it.

  33. I already do enough and cant help any more…
    For instance: i put my gray water from the washing machine in a 55 gallon drum (i have 3 of them). I even moved the machine outside so i can do this. I use the water for my lawn. I jump in the shower, rinse up, water off, soap up, rinse off. i have ULTRA LOW FLO toilets. An HD washing machine. Piss in the toilet and dont flush it. Like WTF else do i need to do? I am up to any ideas….

    • Exactly how we are we have already started ultra conservative a year ago! We don’t 2ater our lawns at at all! What’s going to happen to us household that have started thsee months, even a year ago!??

  34. There goes the green landscape.
    now houses are really going to be cheap after people wanting to buy see the front dessert landscape they will make a u turn Right away.
    but go see the parks when they been irrigated, theres is water running on the curb like if it was a river and no one e says nothing.
    I called the city a couple pf tes to repor this and they told me were going to send some one to check but still thwre is no difference, water running like crazy through the curb.

    • The thing about prospective home buyers seeing brand new homes with desert landscaping is that wherever they look, they’ll see more of it or dead lawns or poorly done crushed rocks with weeds growing up through them, etc.

    • The reason the city of palmdale can continue watering our parks is because they use reclaimed water. The water reclamation plant on Ave S allows us to recycle sewer water. It’s the same process used to fill lake balboa And many parks in the sfv.

      • Yes they can continue watering parks with reclaimed water, but at least they could give the example of what they want us to do and make sure water doest run like a river on the street Because soonee or later, watch, they will be sending reclaimed water to our homes.