EBMUD Drops Drought Penalties

By / CBS San Francisco, CBS San Francisco

EAST BAY — Following a winter with strong storms and record amounts of rainfall, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) announced the easing of drought restrictions.

EBMUD announced that as of Wednesday, the agency is shifting from Stage 2 to Stage 1 drought status and that the Excessive Use Penalty Ordinance is being suspended. An order mandating customers for 10% conservation also becoming voluntary.

Earlier this month, the agency ended its 8% drought surcharge for its 1.4 million customers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

The changes come after Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order last week rolling back some of the state's water restrictions. Newsom's order stopped short of ending the drought emergency.

According to the agency, customers conserved about 32,000 acre-feet of water since April 2020.

Following wet winter weather, EBMUD said reservoirs are currently 88% full. Snowmelt in the spring and summer months is expected to fill reservoirs even further.

"Our customers did a great job of conserving, which helped us tremendously, as did our purchase of supplemental supplies. We thank our customers for saving water and ask that they continue to make conservation a way of life," board president Andy Katz said in a statement.

Some restrictions remain in place for customers, including a ban on outdoor watering with potable water within 48 hours of rainfall, along with a ban on washing vehicles without using a hose shut-off nozzle.

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