Water Resources

Current Stage

The drought is over.

While the Governor has removed the tight restriction, SCWA is now asking customers to continue being water efficient.​  ​SCWA is still continuing with current water schedule for lawns and landscape.  You can find the watering schedule below.

You can read the Governor's March 2023 Executive Order.​
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Protecting Our Water Supply

During the 2013 to 2016 drought Sacramento County Water Agency (SCWA) customers responded to the calls to conserve in a big way; reducing overall water use by as much at 34%. You  achieved  this by  following  the  watering  schedule,  installing  drought tolerant  landscaping,  using  water efficient  irrigation  systems,  purchasing low-flow toilets, fixing leaky faucets and making many other small changes in water use both inside and outside of your home. But you didn't stop there.

Even after the drought was officially over, you continued those good habits. As a result, from 2017  through 2020, SCWA customers demonstrated an average 17% reduction in water use each year,  showing that you have made Water Efficiency and Conservation a way of life.

Now we are asking you to keep up this good work. As we have all seen, this past winter was extremely dry and the outlook is that California is entering another  drought  period.  So this year it will be  even  more  important  to continue those water saving habits you developed.

Keep making Water Efficiency and  Conservation a way of life so we can sustain our water supply well into the future.  Every drop counts!

Background

In May 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown signed two new bills into law that created regulations requiring urban water providers to establish water use objectives for their service areas. Water use objectives will be based on the sum of these four factors: indoor residential use, outdoor residential use, commercial, industrial and institutional (CII) use, and water losses or leakage within the treated water delivery infrastructure of a water provider.

Here’s a breakdown of these factors for SCWA customers.

• Indoor Residential Standard - will initially be allocated 55 gallons per capita (person) per day (gpcd). This standard will decrease to 52.5 gpcd in 2025, and then to 50 gpcd in 2030.
• Outdoor Residential Standard - will be adopted by the State in 2022 and will take into consideration the amount of irrigable land and climate conditions within each agency’s service area(s).
• CII Standard - will be developed and adopted by the State by 2022.
• Water Loss - rules requiring water providers to meet volume-based performance standards will be adopted by the State in 2019 or 2020. ​
  
  

The SCWA is responsible for complying with these regulations your water purveyor, and asks that our customers continue to use water efficiently in accordance with SCWA’s Water Agency Code. 

Checking for leaks

Water leaks are indicated by water passing through your meter when all water fixtures and water-using appliances have been turned off.

By viewing your meter’s register you can often tell if you have a leak. Dial registers usually have a low flow indicator that spins when even small flows are present through your meter, as shown below.

If either of the above types of low flow indicators rotates with everything shut off, you likely have a leak somewhere.  If your register is digital, leaks are indicated by the digits on the far right side of the readout continuing to count with everything shut off.  If you have a leak, it should be investigated further. Common sources of leaks include plumbing fixtures such as toilets and faucets.

You may wish to hire a professional or schedule a Water Wise House Call to help locate any “mystery leaks.” Water leaks beyond the water meter are the responsibility of the owner to make
repairs as soon as possible.

Save water, save money. By finding and fixing leaks, you can save thousands of gallons of water a year. If you’re paying a metered rate, it will help you save money too.

Stay In the Loop!

Current Watering Schedule

Recycled water users are exempt from this watering schedule

This website provides techniques for you can improve indoor and outdoor water use efficiency, and offers information on how to apply for rebate opportunities.

Please keep in mind that with more than twenty-five different water purveyors serving Sacramento County, you may receive mixed messages about the impact of drought conditions.  SCWA will provide our customers the latest information on this website.