Water Conservation

SAVE OUR WATER

California is now experiencing a serious drought. We can't afford to waste any water.

Conserving water is easier than you might think! Making small adjustments can have a big impact. Visit Save Our Water to find water-saving tips for around the house, around the yard, and even some ideas on how to save our trees in California!

Current Drought Information

To comply with the State Water Board's adopted emergency water conservation regulation, the City of Hemet’s Level 2 water conservation actions have been implemented effective June 10, 2022.
To learn more CLICK HERE.

pERMANENT WATER USE RESTRICTIONS

The following water efficiency requirements shall apply to all existing customers regardless of city or state-wide drought status: SEC 82-133

No customer shall permit water to leak or runoff from any property where conditions may be corrected or reasonably modified to prevent such leakage or runoff.
Landscape watering is prohibited between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM with the exception of establishing new landscape or for short periods of time for adjustments or repairs.
No water shall be allowed to run off landscaped areas or supersaturate these areas.
Hosing down driveways and other hard surfacesis prohibited, except for health or sanitary reasons.
The watering or irrigating of any lawn, landscape or other vegetated area with potable water using a hose watering device that is not continuously attended is prohibited
Use of decorative fountains, unless they are equipped with a recirculating system, are prohibited
Where potable water is used for commercial cooling systems, such as chiller, cooling towers, and building air conditioning systems, the water must be recirculated to the maximum extent feasible.
Water shall not be allowed to run while washing vehicles. A hand-held bucket or similar container and/or a hand-held hose equipped with a positive water shut-off device shall be allowed.
Restaurants or other public places where food is served shall only serve water to their customers upon request.
Minor exterior leaks must be repaired within seven (7) business days of written notice.
All substantial exterior leaks shall be repaired within forty-eight (48) hours of written notice.
The City may shut off water supply to a property when repair of exterior leak has not been fixed.

GET MORE INFORMATION:

Water Conservation Ordinance Plan (PDF)
California State Water Board Conservation Portal

SoCal Yard Transformation

Take your water efficient landscape knowledge to the next level! Visit SoCalYardTrans.com for a FREE downloadable copy of “SoCal Yard Transformation: A Step-by-Step Guide to Get the Yard You Want.”

By helping homeowners achieve their full water-saving potential, “SoCal Yard Transformation” assists customers with needed recommendations to create permanent water-use changes. The unique guidebook and website provides readers with more in-depth knowledge about landscape design, plant selection, irrigation efficiency and more.

10 WAYS TO SAVE WATER OUTDOORS

Water your lawn only when needed. Step on the grass. If it springs back when you take your foot off, it doesn't need water.
Deep soak your lawn. When you do water your lawn, water it just long enough to seep down to the roots where it is needed. A light sprinkling, which sits on the surface, will evaporate and be wasted.
Water during the cool parts of the day. Early morning is better than dusk since it helps prevent the growth of fungus.
Don't water the gutter or sidewalks. Position your sprinklers so water lands on your lawn or garden, not on concrete or other paved areas. Also, avoid watering on windy days.
Plant drought-resistant trees and plants. Many beautiful trees and plants thrive with little water in our semi-arid region.
Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants. Mulch slows the evaporation of moisture.
Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks.
Don't run the hose while washing your car. Soap down the car from a pail of soapy water. Use hose only to rinse it off.
Tell your children not to play with the hose and sprinklers.
Check for leaks in pipes, hoses, faucets and couplings. Leaks outside the house can be extremely wasteful, especially when they occur in your main water line. To check for hidden leaks in your pipes, shut off all faucets and taps around the house for 15 minutes. If the water meter shows some movement during that time, you have a leak.

5 WAYS TO SAVE WATER IN THE KITCHEN & LAUNDRY ROOM

1. Use your automatic dishwasher and washing machine for full loads only.

2. Don't let the faucet run while you clean vegetables, instead rinse them in a sink full of clean water.

3. Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator. This beats the wasteful habit of running tap water to cool it for drinking.

4. If you wash the dishes by hand, don't leave the water running for rinsing. If you have two sinks, fill one with rinse water. If you have only one sink, gather your washed dishes in a dish rack and rinse them quickly with a spray device or pan of water.

5. Check faucets and pipes for leaks.

8 WAYS TO SAVE WATER IN THE BATHROOM

Check your toilet for leaks. Put a few drops of food coloring in your toilet tank. If the coloring begins to appear in the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a wasteful leak that should be repaired at once.
Stop using your toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket.
Take shorter showers. Limit your showers to the time it takes to soap up, wash down and rinse off.
Install water-saving shower heads or flow restrictors. Your hardware or plumbing supply store stocks inexpensive shower heads and flow restrictors that are easy to install and still give you cleansing, refreshing showers.
Take baths. A partial filled tub uses less than all but the shortest showers.
Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Before brushing, wet your brush and fill a glass for rinsing your mouth.
Turn off the water while shaving. Fill the bottom of the sink with a few inches of water in which to rinse your razor.
Check faucets and pipes for leaks.