With the State of California entering its 3rd straight year of drought and water shortage, the City of Fresno has taken action to be good stewards of this precious resource. The City Council voted unanimously today to support a 20% voluntary reduction in water use. This conservation step is what the Governor has called for in urban areas in his California “Drought State of Emergency.” The following are changes that will help in reaching our conservation goals:

• Establish a City-wide voluntary water use reduction goal of 20%. 
• Intensify the public information program and media campaign on steps to decrease water use. 
• Further increase water waste patrols to enforce the provisions of the Fresno Municipal Code, focusing on but not limited to the watering schedule.
• Adopt additional policies to:
• Eliminate daytime (8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.) summer outdoor watering, maintaining current watering days to make it easier to educate and gain compliance.
• Allow car washing with bucket only (a hose equipped with a shut-off nozzle may be used for a quick rinse).

Both Mayor Swearingen and Council President Sterling participated in the West Side Water March last week and have an intense understanding of the severe impacts of the drought. “Our residents share our concerns and I am confident that the community will rise to the occasion and do our part to conserve this precious resource,” said Mayor Swearingen. This statement was echoed by Council President Sterling who stated, “Spending two days on the Water March last week strengthened my resolve to do whatever steps are necessary to show full support for our county partners and conserve our valley’s water.”
By increasing our water conservation efforts and adopting a more aggressive approach to reducing our water use, it is our belief that Fresno can achieve the water reduction goals required to sustain the current drought conditions. These actions will also help to avoid the need to increase the “over-drafting” of the ground water supply in the future and works toward the goal of sustainability.

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