Golden State Water Company (Golden State Water) has increased drought patrols in Gold River and Rancho Cordova to enforce outdoor irrigation restrictions that were implemented to help the community meet its state-mandate 36 percent reduction in water use.

Golden State Water’s patrols are monitoring outdoor irrigation and issuing enforcement letters to customers who are not complying with current local drought restrictions.

“Our Cordova system that serves customers in Gold River and Rancho Cordova received a violation letter from the State Water Resources Control Board for falling below its 36 percent reduction mandate, and we have increased patrols to ensure customers are complying with drought restrictions that address outdoor irrigation days and times,” said Paul Schubert, northern general manager for Golden State Water. “During the first two weeks of increased patrols, we issued 98 enforcement letters to customers to alert them of their violations and request that they make adjustments to avoid penalties.”

Current restrictions for Golden State Water’s local customers limit outdoor irrigation to one day per week, permitting even addresses (0, 2, 4, 6, 8) to water on Sunday and odd addresses (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) on Saturday. All outdoor irrigation must occur before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m., and should not exceed 10 minutes per station.

Non-compliance with irrigation restrictions may result in the installation of a flow restrictor or termination of service along with associated fees. Restrictions do not apply for trees or edible vegetation watered solely by drip or microspray systems.

“We, as a community, have missed the state-mandated 36 percent reduction three consecutive months, and our cumulative reduction has fallen to 33.2 percent for the period from June 1-Dec. 13,” said Schubert. “It’s critical that we regain our conservation momentum to avoid triggering additional restrictions, allocations and surcharges.”

Golden State Water’s Cordova System remains in Stage 1 of Staged Mandatory Water Conservation and Rationing (Schedule 14.1), which was activated on July 1, 2015, to help customers meet the 36 percent reduction mandate assigned by the State Water Resources Control Board.

Customers are encouraged to visit gswater.com/arden-cordova for weekly reduction updates, local drought restrictions and additional information about Staged Mandatory Water Conservation and Rationing. Please call Golden State Water’s 24-hour Customer Service Center at (800) 999-4033 to learn more about the drought and local conservation resources, or follow Golden State Water on Twitter @GoldenStateH2O.