With all that water from storms in recent months, things are looking much better for the Central Coast.
Both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties are officially out of the drought based on last week’s numbers released by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
As a result, one city is rolling back its water restrictions.
The city of Grover Beach announced that it is scaling back from a Stage 3 Water Shortage Declaration in effect since Sept. 2022. It included a 20% water reduction requirement with possible penalties, but that is no longer the case.
City Council voted to change those water restrictions during Monday’s meeting.
“With the recent rains and with Lopez Lake now up above 40,000 acre-feet of water, 87% capacity, we're able to roll back those restrictions into what we call Stage 1 Water Shortage Declaration, which is a voluntary compliance with water conservation,” explained Matthew Bronson, Grover Beach City Manager.
Although there will be no penalties related to water usage, the city is asking residents to be mindful about how they use water.
The city also still has rebate opportunities to replace grass, irrigation controllers, and low-efficiency appliances.
For a full list of programs offered by the City of Grover Beach, click here.
In the City of Arroyo Grande, council members are expected to review a proposal to remove their current water restrictions on March 28, 2023. They have had restrictions in place since Oct. 2021, which include a 10-15% reduction in water usage.
Residents in the City of Atascadero will not see any changes.
Water restrictions in Paso Robles are in effect until June 2023. They include a limit on watering your landscape to three days per week, water leak repairs within five days of notifying the city, and the prohibition of excessive water runoff.
Unless directed by the state, the City of Paso Robles does not plan to renew its conservation mandate beyond that date.
