New Water Conservation Measures Go into Effect June 1, 2023

California American Water is moving back to a three-days-per-week watering schedule for outdoor landscaping, after winter storms helped ease state water shortage conditions.  This comes after Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) lifted emergency water restrictions for the area recently; those restrictions had been in effect since June 1, 2022. 

Beginning June 1, 2023, California American Water is encouraging all Ventura District customers to follow the below recommended watering schedule. 

• THREE-DAYS-A-WEEK 

• • Odd Address (Addresses ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9): Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday 
  • Even Address (Addresses ending in 2, 4, 6, 8, 0): Monday, Thursday, and Saturday 
  • No watering on Wednesday 

• To avoid evaporation, we recommend customers water outdoors before 9:00 a.m. or after sunset. 
• Watering should be limited to a total of 10-minutes per station per allowed days. 
• Hand watering with a garden hose/nozzle and low-flow irrigation systems (Including drip irrigation and micro spray) that emit less than two gallons per hour are exempt from days of week and time limitations. 

Customers should check their city’s watering schedule, as some cities may have implemented more restrictive measures.​ We encourage customers to follow their city’s conservation guidelines if more restrictive. 

We’re here to help

FREE Water Wise Surveys are available. California American Water provides free water use consultations for our residential and non-residential customers. For residential customers, a conservation specialist will visit your home, identify ways to help you save water, and even provide free low flow fixtures for your kitchen and bathroom. For non-residential customers, a conservation specialist will calculate an individualized water budget and provide water saving recommendations.
Please call your Conservation Specialist at Phone: 1-805-454-0908 to schedule your in home survey.

State Water Board Bans Watering “Non-Functional” Turf With Potable Water

Effective June 10, 2022, the State Water Board has implemented a statewide ban on watering “non-functional turf” in commercial, industrial, institutional areas with potable water. This does not include house yards, parks, or sports fields, but it does include decorative turf at businesses and in common areas of HOAs and housing subdivisions. Non-functional turf is grass that is solely ornamental and not regularly used for human recreational purposes or for civic or community events.

Why is this happening?

The new emergency regulation is mandated by the State Water Board in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s March 28 Executive Order and aims to improve the state’s water conservation efforts amid the third year of drought. The emergency regulation will remain in effect for one year, unless modified by the State Water Board.

Learn more about the ban by visiting bit.ly/conservationreg.

What do customers need to do to comply?

Owners and managers of commercial, industrial, institutional, and HOA properties must not use potable water for irrigating non-functional turf. If you have questions about conservation and replacing your turf, please contact our Conservation Specialists by clicking on your district listed above.

The enforcement of this ban will be led by the State Water Resources Control Board, although California American Water does send courtesy notices to customers if there are reports of a potential violation. California American Water is permitted to enforce fines should customers not comply, however we are committed to education over enforcement whenever possible.

Residential Rebates 

CAAW offers residential indoor and outdoor rebates through its partnership with Metropolitan Water District of So. Cal. Please visit socalwatersmart.com for a full list of rebates and to apply.

All rebate amounts and rebate program availability are subject to change. 
Please call 1-805-454-0909 to determine current eligibility. 
PLEASE NOTE: Customers must not have already received a rebate for the same product at the same address. If a customer has already received a rebate from their water agency or Metropolitan Water District’s SoCalWaterSmart for a qualifying measure or device, they may not apply for that same measure or device a second time. 

Turf Removal Rebates 

New Turf Replacement Program rebates are available to replace existing turf with sustainable landscape designs that incorporate water-saving plants, technology, irrigation systems and other improvements. Rebates offered are starting at $2/square foot to both residential and commercial customers on a first come-first serve basis until funds are depleted for the year. The maximum allowed turf replacement for residential is 5000 square feet, and for commercial it is 50,000 square feet. You can apply for the program at http://socalwatersmart.com (make sure to choose residential or commercial appropriately), view great how-to videos to get you started, and get detailed instructions on additional requirements and the application process. Please note that approval of the application is required before you start your project! 

If you have additional questions, please contact the local conservation desk at 805-454-0908 

CLICK HERE to learn more and apply for a rebate. 

Commercial Rebates 

CLICK HERE for a commercial rebate application for the items listed below (except those, which have their own application link). 

Qualified items below