Stockton residents now required to reduce water use by 20%. See latest water restrictions

The extreme heat seen throughout the west is causing household lawns to cry out for water.

In July, the Stockton City Council adopted a resolution declaring a Stage 2 Water Shortage Emergency in response to the ongoing drought and record-low reservoir levels in California.

This resolution means that Stockton residents are required to cut water use by 20% and restrict watering hours to before 8 a.m. and after 6 p.m. Watering days have also been restricted to only two days per week.

Homes with odd number addresses are allowed to water Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Homes with even number addresses water Wednesdays and Sundays.

Individuals who are caught breaking these rules could face a fine of $100 per day if they continue to break water conservation rules after an initial notice of violation is issued, according to city officials.

City spokesperson Connie Cochran said the city has not had to issue any fines yet, but there have been about 175 complaints submitted by Stockton residents since the new rules went into effect in July.

"The majority of those complaints are for watering on the wrong day or misdirected sprinkler heads," Cochran said.

She said when the city receives a complaint, a representative from the water field office will go to the business or residence in noncompliance and try to make contact with someone there.

"They will talk with them about correcting whatever the issue is, whether it's the wrong watering day or a sprinkler head that's broken, and then, they do leave them with a water conservation kit," Cochran said.

Water conservation kits include a showerhead, a faucet aerator, a toilet tablet to test for leaks, and a water-use checklist to identify potential water leaks in and around the home.

Cochran added that for the most part, Stockton residents have been in compliance with water regulations.

"They get it. They understand that there's a drought, in fact this time more than ever," Cochran said. "What's different between the last drought and this one is people are more aware of what the lack of water year after year after year can do."

Related: Gov. Newsom unveils long-term strategy to bolster California water supply

Historically Stockton residents have responded well to water conservation rules. In 2015, Stockton's Municipal Utilities Department reported a 41% decrease in water usage compared to June 2013. That was after former Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order mandating water reductions of 25% in cities and towns across the state.

Stockton residents are able to report water wasting by calling the city's Municipal Utilities Department at (209) 937-8341 or filing out a report on the Ask Stockton mobile app.

Meanwhile, new man-made lakes on Stockton’s west side are being filled, leaving some to wonder why residents are required to reduce water usage while developers are not.

“It’s not city water so it doesn’t have anything to do with conservation efforts,” Jeff Marasovich, deputy director of collections and stormwater for the city of Stockton, said.

Marasovich explained that in order to fill man-made lakes, developers must first obtain a permit from the State Water Resources Control Board. This permit gives developers the right to fill man-made lakes with water from other resources like nearby sloughs.

“The way it works for the city is they (the developers) fill the lakes with water that they have the rights to from natural waterways and then the storm system drains into those lakes,” Marasovich said. “When the lake reaches a certain level, it’ll enter our pump stations, and then, we’ll pump it into the waterway, so it actually acts as a part of our stormwater drainage system in the winter.”

More: Tips to reduce landscape water use during an extreme drought

Marasovich said that when there is no rainfall and the man-made lakes start dropping due to evaporation, developers can use their water rights to refill their lakes and keep them at a “nice level.”

While Marasovich said he understood the concerns from Stockton residents, he stressed that it is up to the developers to maintain their man-made lakes.

“It’s really not a function of the city at all except that our stormwater passes through it,” he said.

For more information on water conservation, visit stocktonca.gov.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton residents required to cut water usage by 20%