PWD Ends Emergency Drought Restrictions by Palmdale Water District May 23, 2023 Member Submitted News PALMDALE – All emergency drought regulations adopted the past two years by the Palmdale Water District (PWD) are no longer in effect following the Board of Directors voting 5-0 Monday to end all restrictions. After hearing from staff that there is more water than needed for customers this year, the Board rescinded the Emergency Drought Regulations and the voluntary stage of the Water Shortage Contingency Plan. “My fellow Board members and I are happy to end the restrictions that have been in place for the last couple of years,” said Board President Don Wilson. “We appreciate our customers who responded to our call for conservation and cut back usage by up to 20%.” Last month, the Department of Water Resources announced that water allocation for State Water Contractors, including PWD, would be 100% due to the epic rain and snowfall this past winter and spring. The last time thestate issued a 100% allocation was in 2006. Last year, the state was in a severe drought, and allocation was only 5%, leading PWD to adopt its mandatory 20% conservation guidelines. It reverted to voluntary conservation this past March. For PWD, the full allocation is 21,300 acre-feet (AF), or 6.7 billion gallons, of water. This amount exceeds the annual requirement of about 20,000 AF for 126,000 customers. The District also has surface water from Littlerock Reservoir, which has been full since January due to rainfall and snowmelt from the San Gabriel Mountains. Last year, about 3,600 AF of water was used from this source. More water will be used from the reservoir this year. “With more than enough water to meet our customers’ needs, this year’s ample water supply will allow us to also bank water in the Antelope Valley, meet our water transfer agreements and create new ones for the future, and still store at least 5,000 AF for next year,” said Resource and Analytics Supervisor Claudia Bolanos. Even though the drought restrictions have ended, customers must still follow PWD’s always in effect Water Waste Policy. They include prohibiting outdoor watering within 48 hours of measurable rainfall and the washing of cars without an auto shutoff hose nozzle. For a full list of the policy’s 11 restrictions, visit PWD’s website. Since 1918, the Palmdale Water District has provided high-quality water at a reasonable cost. We pride ourselves on providing great customer care; advocating for local water issues that help our residents; educating the community on water-use efficiency; and leading our region in researching and implementing emerging technologies that increase operational efficiency. For more information about PWD, visit www.palmdalewater.org. ###
