Hermosa Beach tightens up on water usage
Hermosa Beach joined other Los Angeles County cities in adopting stricter water use regulations as a reponse to Gov. Jerry Brown declaring a state wide drought earlier this year. Left to right – Natalie Collicutt, 11, Dylan Albarain, 11, and Adam Pedersen, 12, listen to Dency Nelson, talk about drought-tolerant plants in Hermosa Beach earlier this month. Nelson and Joe Galliani, organizer of South Bay 350 Climate Action Group, took children on a tour around the city to learn about energy-efficient vehicles and houses as part of “How do I want Hermosa Beach to look 15 years from now?” summer camp. Photo by Anibal Ortiz, staff photographer.
Hermosa Beach will join other cities in Los Angeles County that have adopted stricter water use regulations since Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state wide drought earlier this year.
City Council voted unanimously to ban using water to wash sidewalks, patios or driveways on Tuesday, keeping in line with state regulations passed last month, though there are exceptions for commercial establishments.
Residents will now also be limited to watering lawns no more than twice a week and above ground spray irrigation will be capped at 15 minutes per water station area. These limitations won’t apply to public parks and facilities that are watered with reclaimed water or to commercial nurseries, drip irrigation systems, or hand held buckets or hoses equipped with a positive action quick-release shut off valve or nozzle.
City staff estimates that these measure could lead to a reduction in water usage of more than 20 percent.
While the focus of these measures will be to educate the public, City Manager Tom Bakaly said that those who violate the new restrictions on water usage could receive a warning, citation and down the road, possibly a monetary fine. Fees for water use violations in other cities, such as Pasadena, start at $500 for residential customers and $1,000 for non-residential customers.