The Drought is Over
Governor Brown declared California’s drought over on April 1, 2017, but permanent water efficiency measures remain in place to prevent water waste and protect our water resources.
Permanent Water Efficiency Measures
Helix’s Board of Directors adopted permanent water efficiency measures that are consistent with the permanent measures enacted by the State of California.
A/ Do not wash down paved surfaces, including but not limited to sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts or patios, unless required for public safety or sanitation.
B/ Eliminate runoff from irrigation on to hardscape, streets, structures or adjacent properties. Water waste caused by overspray from sprinklers or low head drainage is prohibited.
C/ Do not water for at least 48 hours after rain.
D/ Do not water turf on public street medians.
E/ Use recirculated water in ornamental fountains and water features.
F/ Wash vehicles using a hose with a positive shutoff nozzle and a bucket, and avoid washing vehicles during hot conditions when additional water is required.
G/ Restaurants and other food service establishments may serve water upon request only.
H/ Hotels, motels and other commercial lodging establishments must offer guests the option of not laundering towels and linens daily
Helix Drought Response Levels
Helix’s Board of Directors has adopted a Drought Response Plan to address water shortages. The plan establishes four levels of drought response actions with increasing measures in response to decreasing water supplies.
LEVEL 1
Voluntary water use restrictions to achieve water savings up to 10%.
Irrigation (all customers)
Irrigate before 10am and after 6pm only. Consider limiting irrigation using spray-type sprinklers to 10 minutes per day and adjusting run times as needed to avoid runoff.
If hand-watering, use a hand-held hose equipped with a positive shut-off nozzle or a bucket.
Commercial Water Use
Nurseries and commercial growers must irrigate before 10am and after 6pm only, but the following is permitted at any time:
- Use of a hand-held hose with positive shut-off nozzle
- Use of a bucket
- Drip irrigation
- Irrigation of propagation beds
- Watering of livestock
Leaks
Repair water leaks within five days of notification from Helix unless other arrangements are made with the General Manager.
LEVEL 2
Mandatory water use restrictions to achieve water savings up to 20%.
Irrigation (all customers)
Level 1 restrictions become mandatory.
Limit irrigation with a spray-type sprinkler to no more than 3 days per week. This limit does not apply to commercial growers or nurseries.
Limit irrigation to no more than 10 minutes per station per day. Drip, micro, and rotary nozzle sprinklers are exempt from the 10 minute per day limit.
Leaks (all customers)
Repair leaks within 72 hours of notification from Helix unless other arrangements are made with the General Manager.
LEVEL 3
Mandatory water use restrictions to achieve water savings up to 40%.
Irrigation (all customers)
Level 1 and 2 restrictions are mandatory.
Limit residential and commercial landscape irrigation to two days per week. During the months of November through May, landscape irrigation may be limited to no more than once per week. This limit does not apply to commercial growers or nurseries.
Hand-watering is limited to the same schedule as irrigation systems.
Other Outdoor Use (all customers)
Stop filling or refilling ornamental lakes or ponds, except as needed to sustain aquatic life of significant value that was actively managed in the water feature prior to Helix implementing a drought response level.
Only wash vehicles at commercial carwashes that recycle their water, or with a high pressure/low volume wash system.
Leaks (all customers)
Repair leaks within 48 hours of notification from Helix unless other arrangements are made with the General Manager.
Development
Helix may deny requests for temporary water meters, permanent meters and ability to serve letters unless:
- A valid, unexpired building permit has been issued for the project
- The project is deemed necessary to protect public health, safety and welfare
- The applicant offsets the water demand of the project prior to the issuance of a new meter
Annexations
Helix will not consider annexations to its service area during a Level 3 drought response.
Water Allocations
Helix may establish a water allocation per customer that:
- does not penalize customers for conservation to date
- does penalize customers for water use in excess of their allocation
LEVEL 4
Mandatory water use restrictions to achieve water savings above 40%.
Irrigation (all customers)
Level 1, 2 and 3 restrictions are mandatory.
Stop all landscape irrigation except for the following:
- Crops
- Landscape products of nurseries and commercial growers
- Hand-watering of trees and shrubs as described in Level 3
- Irrigation specified by the Fire Marshal having jurisdiction over the property
- Irrigation for erosion control
- Irrigation of plants that are rare or essential to the well-being of rare animals
- Active landscapes including public parks, playing fields, day care centers, school grounds, cemeteries, and golf course greens, provided that irrigation complies with schedule in Level 3
- Watering of livestock
- Public works projects and actively irrigated environmental mitigation projects
Leaks (all customers)
Repair leaks within 24 hours of notification from Helix unless other arrangements are made with the General Manager.
Water Allocations (all customers)
Helix may establish a water allocation per customer that:
- does not penalize customers for conservation to date
- does penalize customers for water use in excess of their allocation
Setting standards of excellence in public service.
We are responsible for the safety, quality and reliability of the drinking water for over 273,000 people in San Diego's East County.
© 2017 Helix Water District