UPDATE (8:10 p.m.) - The Pismo Beach City Council passed more water use restrictions Tuesday night, amid intensifying drought conditions.
The council voted to prohibit outdoor watering between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
This is an expansion of the previous prohibition between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
The council also voted to give itself the power to pass any water rationing measure that they deem necessary for public safety.
The goal is to encourage drought-resistant landscaping while trying to avoid drastic cutbacks that could cost homeowners.
The city is taking a wait-and-see approach while avoiding city-wide water cutbacks, for now.
The Pismo Beach City Council also voted to require water leaks to be fixed within 72 hours.
Pismo Beach has also cut back on watering at city parks and could stop irrigation entirely if conditions worsen.
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(6:36 p.m.) - Pismo Beach is the latest city to consider more water use restrictions amid intensifying drought conditions.
No major water cutbacks are on the table just yet, but the city council wants the ability to quickly pass new restrictions as we head into the dry summer months.
The City Council will vote Tuesday night on prohibiting outdoor watering between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
That would be an expansion to the current prohibition between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The City Council will also vote on giving itself the power to pass tighter restrictions as needed.
"It also has the caveat that the city can impose any water rationing measures that they deem fit to protect public health and safety," said Benjamin Fine, Director of Public Works for the City of Pismo Beach.
The city is taking a wait-and-see approach while avoiding city-wide water cutbacks, for now.
The goal is to encourage drought-resistant landscaping while trying to avoid drastic cutbacks that could cost homeowners.
"We're trying to stay away from that, that can become very costly for homeowners if we say no outdoor water use and everybody's landscaping dies-- when the drought's over and they want to re-do their lawns, they're looking at a landscape project now," said Fine.
Neighboring Grover Beach is implementing a mandatory 10% cutback in water use, but holding off on penalties, for now.
"We'll be working with our customers over the coming months on notices and information on ways they can reduce water use if there are examples of going above the baseline level that was set in December of 2021," said Grover Beach City Manager Matthew Bronson.
This all comes as water levels continue to plummet at Lopez Lake, hitting levels that are expected to be even worse than the last drought.
"This go-around, Lake Lopez is lower than it was last time, which gives me more concern," said Fine. "The last drought, while things were dry, the lake was a bit higher."
The Pismo Beach City Council will also vote on requiring water leaks to be fixed within 72 hours.
Pismo Beach has also cut back on watering at city parks and could stop irrigation entirely if conditions worsen.
