State Water Board Agrees to Rescind Drought Penalty Against CVWD

The State Water Resources Control Board agreed Friday to lift a financial drought penalty leveled at the Coachella Valley Water District last year, in lieu of the creation of a Landscaper Certification Program promoting water efficiency.

CVWD was assessed a $61,000 civil liability in October for failing to meet state conservation standards requiring a 36 percent reduction in water usage.

In response, CVWD enacted strict drought penalties on its customers, but criticized the state water board's approach, saying that the mandates should take each individual agency's water supply and climate into account.

Now, in addition to adjusting drought regulations to reflect local water supply, the state water board has agreed to suspend the $61,000 fine should CVWD successfully create the program.

The Landscaper Certification Program, estimated to cost $83,400, will be required for any new or existing landscapers seeking a landscaping business license in CVWD's areas. Those seeking landscaping licenses will need to complete a certification course on "best practices for achieving water efficiency when creating outdoor environments."

CVWD will be required to create the curriculum and the program's success will be evaluated based on the number of cities implementing certification ordinances for landscapers and the overall number of participants in the certification program.

According to the water board, a similar agreement was also reached with the Indio Water Authority, leading to the creation of a water conservation program.

"The Office of Enforcement's focus has always been on finding innovative and sustaining solutions to meet the goals of water conservation-- not issuing fines," said Cris Carrigan, director of the State Water Board's Office of Enforcement. "This agreement is the second we have reached with water suppliers that were originally issued civil liabilities for not meeting their water conservation standards. What we have here is another program that will bring real, tangible benefits of water conservation and resiliency, as opposed to just a monetary penalty, A key advantage of this approach is that funds that would have gone to pay the civil liability will be kept locally and benefit water conservation in the Coachella Valley community."

CVWD officials, who lauded the state water board's decision to base its drought regulations on each water agency's specific circumstances, also praised the new agreement.

"CVWD appreciates the State Water Board's support of this project and willingness to allow us to spend the funds in a way that benefits the Coachella Valley," said CVWD General Manger Jim Barrett. "We expect this certification program will become a valuable resource for professional landscapers to help their clients become more water wise."

The certification program must be implemented in its entirety by April 1, 2017, according to the state water board's settlement agreement.

– By City News Service. Image via Shutterstock.