Burbank Moves to Stage III Watering to Help Sustain Water Supplies
Burbank, California (June 27, 2022) — Effective, June 27, 2022, Burbank moves to Stage III of the Sustainable Water Use Ordinance to further limit potable water usage for outdoor watering in response to the California drought.
Stage III limits outdoor watering in Burbank to two days per week, on Tuesday and Saturday, from April to October. Outdoor watering with irrigation is allowed before 9:00 am and after 6:00 pm, for up to 15 minutes per irrigation station on these days. Attended hand watering continues to be allowed any day of the week but must be before 9:00 am or after 6:00 pm.
Drip and low-flow irrigation systems are exempt from the 15-minute rule but must comply with the two-day-per-week watering days. Locations that use recycled water are exempt from the Stage III watering restrictions.
Additional requirements for the Stage III watering schedule include:
- The use of outdoor evaporative cooling devices, such as misters, are not allowed in Stage III.
- Swimming pools, wading pools, and spas must also be covered when not in use with protection designed to decrease water evaporation. BWP offers a $50 bill credit to residents for pool covers. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/pool-cover-credit.
Burbank Must Reduce Water Use by 15% Compared to 2020
Last summer, Governor Gavin Newsom asked California residents and businesses to voluntarily reduce water use by 15% compared to a 2020 baseline. In response, the Burbank City Council adopted a resolution authorizing the move to Stage II of the Sustainable Water Use Ordinance. The council also approved conditions that would give BWP the authority to move to Stage III if Burbank did not meet water-saving targets for three consecutive months.
Burbank’s efforts to reduce water use started strong, with the city achieving the water-saving targets in December and January. Burbank missed the 15% reduction goal four of the past seven months. Water usage rose in February, March, and April, as shown in the graph below.
As a result, Burbank moved to Stage III to put further restrictions on outdoor watering in the city.
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California State Goal: 15% reduction in water usage in 2021 when compared to 2020 |
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YEAR |
MONTH |
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|
November |
December |
January |
February |
March |
April |
May |
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|
2020 (baseline) |
136 |
132 |
125 |
126 |
104 |
112 |
141 |
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2021 |
134 |
110 |
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|
|
|
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|
2022 |
|
|
106 |
128 |
127 |
131 |
133 |
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% decrease (-) or increase (+) |
-1.5% |
-16.7% |
-15.2% |
1.6% |
22.1% |
17.0% |
-5.7% |
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All values are in gallons per capita per day (gpcd). |
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|
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Legend: |
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Goal Not Achieved |
|
|
Goal Achieved |
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Follow Burbank’s Outdoor Watering Schedule to Help Save Water
The most impactful thing that Burbank residents and businesses can do to contribute to saving water is to follow Burbank’s outdoor watering schedule.
“Burbank cannot achieve our 15% water reduction target without the help of every resident and business in the community,” says Richard Wilson, Assistant General Manager of Water at BWP. “If everyone does just a little to save water, we can achieve our 15% savings goal to help sustain California’s water supply during this historic drought.”
Additionally, BWP and Metropolitan Water District are currently offering a variety of rebates and programs to help the community save water. Residents and businesses are encouraged to learn more about these programs on the BWP website at BurbankWaterAndPower.com/drought.
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