MMWD Says No More Watering During Day, Using Hose Without Special Nozzle

The following is a news release from the Marin Municipal Water District:

In response to new state regulations, the Marin Municipal Water District Board of Directors recently adopted an ordinance amending the district’s water waste prohibitions. The board took the action to fully comply with new state regulations passed by the State Water Resources Control Board to address the continuing drought. The state’s new emergency regulations were designed to reduce outdoor water use statewide.

MMWD Board President Armando Quintero explained, “While MMWD is not as severely impacted by the drought as other parts of the state, we could be in the future. We want to do as much as we can during these warm summer months to reduce water use in Marin and to support the state’s call for more conservation.”

Three of the new state regulations mirror water waste restrictions MMWD has had in place for two decades, while the MMWD board added two more restrictions to be in full compliance. Under state and district water conservation regulations, the following actions are now prohibited:

* NEW: Irrigating between 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., except for system testing and repair

* NEW: Using a hose without a shutoff nozzle

* Allowing irrigation water to runoff or overspray the irrigated area

* Hosing down sidewalks, driveways, and other hard-surfaced areas

* Using non-recirculating decorative fountains

To encourage customers to comply with the new regulation requiring shutoff nozzles, MMWD is providing them for free to all district customers at the MMWD main office, 220 Nellen Avenue, Corte Madera (one per household).

The state regulation allows for fines up to $500 for violations of the prohibitions. MMWD’s code already complies with this regulation because the district has an enforcement provision that includes fines of $250 for violating the regulations and restrictions on water use. MMWD has already taken the final step to comply with state regulations, which is to report monthly consumption figures to the state beginning this month.

MMWD is Marin County’s largest provider of drinking water, serving a population of 186,000 in a 147-square-mile area of south and central Marin County. The district owns and manages 21,635 acres of watershed land on Mt. Tamalpais and in west Marin. The primary source of water supply is rainfall captured in seven reservoirs, providing 75 percent of the water consumed each year. The remaining 25 percent is imported annually from the Russian River through an agreement with the Sonoma County Water Agency. MMWD also operates its own recycled water system. District operations are financed primarily by revenue from the sale of water. The annual operating budget for the district for fiscal year 2014-15 is $79.1 million.

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