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California to fine residents up to $500 a day for wasting water

July 16, 2014

A warning buoy sits on the dry, cracked bed of Lake Mendocino near Ukiah, Calif. (AP / Rich Pedroncelli)

California is in big water trouble, and state water regulators are now looking to fine residents $500 a day for wasteful practices.

The State Water Quality Control Board said Tuesday that it approved up-to-$500 fines for individuals and up to $10,000 for water agencies after a survey showed failing conservation measures in the midst of one of the worst droughts in the state’s history.

California’s water consumption actually rose by 1 percent in May in comparison to the month’s yearly average at a time when the goal was a 20 percent reduction in water use, the survey results showed.

The board voted 4-0.

Among the board’s new prohibitions are causing runoff onto sidewalks and streets by over-watering lawns, washing vehicles with hoses without shut-off nozzles and the use of drinking water in fountains and other decorative features without water recirculation.

The approved regulations go into effect Aug. 1 and will remain for nine months.

According to the National Weather Service, the area around downtown Los Angeles and Koreatown received just 11.39 inches of rainfall since 2012, 17.93 inches below the norm and the lowest since records began in 1877.