Southern California is experiencing severe drought conditions. Across the western U.S., scientists have found that the extreme dryness since 2000 has become the driest 22-year period in at least 1,200 years, a megadrought that research shows is being intensified by climate change.

West Hollywood residents and businesses are served by two water utility companies. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) serves most areas of the City and Beverly Hills Water serves certain areas on the west side of the City. Both utilities encourage their customers to continue to use water efficiently. The City of West Hollywood is reminding residents and businesses about water conservation rules now in effect.

Map of West Hollywood Water Districts [PDF]

All water customers — residential and commercial — are now limited to two-day-a-week outdoor watering as well as other water use restrictions, as follows:

LADWP customers are required to maintain a two-day-a-week watering schedule:

• Customers with street addresses ending in odd numbers may water on Mondays and Fridays before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
• Customers with street addresses ending in even numbers may water on Thursdays and Sundays before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
• LADWP rules call for no watering between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., regardless of the day. More information about watering days is available at www.ladwp.com/wateringdays.

Beverly Hills Water customers are required to maintain a two-day-a-week watering schedule:

• Customers in locations north of Santa Monica Boulevard may water on Monday and Friday before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
• Customers in locations south of Santa Monica Boulevard may water on Tuesdays and Saturdays before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
• Beverly Hills Water rules call for no watering between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., regardless of the day. Supplemental watering for trees is permitted. More information is available at www.bhsaves.org.

New restrictions also include two recommended practices: the use of pool covers to prevent evaporation, and the washing of vehicles at commercial car wash facilities. Hand watering is allowed every day during permitted hours if the hose is equipped with a self-closing water shut-off device.

Existing water conservation practices continue to be in place:

• Limiting outdoor watering with sprinklers to eight minutes per station on permitted watering days
• Watering with sprinklers using water-conserving nozzles for up to 15 minutes, twice a day, on the permitted watering day
• No water should flow off of property
• No water should leak from any pipe or fixture
• No watering within 48 hours after a measurable rain event
• No hosing of driveway or sidewalk 
• No washing of vehicles using a hose without a self-closing nozzle

The City of West Hollywood is urging water customers to adhere to restrictions and conservation practices to voluntarily reduce water use to help preserve the region’s water storage reserves in response to extreme drought conditions. More than half of the water used in Southern California is imported from the Northern Sierra and the Colorado River. Both of those sources are facing severe drought conditions; crucial storage reservoirs have never been lower.

The Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors has declared a Water Shortage Emergency calling for consumers and businesses to reduce water use and help preserve the region’s storage reserves. The West Basin Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors has moved to activate its Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WCSP) and declare a Water Shortage Emergency for the service area representing nearly one million people in 17 cities and unincorporated areas in Los Angeles County, including West Hollywood.

The City of West Hollywood offers tips for saving water on its website at www.weho.org/waterconservation. Visit the State of California’s “Save Our Water” drought action website at https://drought.ca.gov to learn about being drought-aware and using water wisely.

Water conservation tips are also available at:

www.bewaterwise.com

www.ladwp.com/waterconservation

www.beverlyhills.org/living/recyclingandconservation/waterconservation

www.westbasin.org

LADWP is also urging customers to take advantage of the many water- and money-saving rebates and programs available to both residential and commercial customers. Residential customers can find a comprehensive list of rebates and programs, including rebates for efficient clothes washers, toilets, and turf replacement, at www.ladwp.com/save. Commercial customers can visit www.ladwp.com/cwr for rebates and programs.

For more information from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, please contact the LADWP Customer Contact Center at 1-800-DIAL DWP (1-800-342-5397). For more information from Beverly Hills Water, please contact Beverly Hills Public Works Customer Service at (310) 285-2467 or at askpw@beverlyhills.org.

For additional information, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Department of Public Works at (323) 848-6375. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.

For up-to-date information about City of West Hollywood news and events, follow @wehocity on social media, sign-up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City’s calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar. The City of West Hollywood remains in a declared local emergency in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. West Hollywood City Hall is open for walk-in services at public counters or by appointment by visiting www.weho.org/appointments. City Hall services are accessible by phone at (323) 848-6400 and via website at www.weho.org. The City’s coronavirus updates are available at www.weho.org/coronavirus.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or slunn@weho.org.