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What rebate programs or other financial incentives are available for saving water?
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If I participate in a rebate program am I exempt from the surcharge?
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Why should I conserve more if EBMUD isn't fixing it's leaking pipes?
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Why should I conserve more so you can sell water to Southern California?
How much water am I supposed to conserve?
Single family residential customers are asked to reduce consumption by 19
percent. View
reduction goals for all customers. To find how many gallons of
water that means for you, EBMUD calculated your consumption record for each
billing period over the past three years to determine your average water use.
EBMUD is sending that information to each customer.
How can I conserve more water when I see no way to do more?
In a drought emergency such as this, most people can find a few new ways to cut back, particularly by reducing outdoor watering and checking for leaks, especially in toilet tanks. We're asking customers who already conserve routinely to complete a free self-audit kit. It may help you find further ways to save, or may qualify you for an adjustment in your drought water use allocation.
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What rebate programs or other financial
incentives are available for saving water?
Information regarding various conservation services and programs for
residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers in the
District's service area, can be viewed on our Rebates
page.
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If I participate in a rebate program am I
exempt from the surcharge?
No, the rebate programs are intended to help customers be more
efficient. The drought surcharge applies to customers exceeding their
water use allotment regardless of participating in the rebate program.
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What are the prohibited uses?
The drought program approved by EBMUD's Board of Directors prohibits the
following:
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using water for decorative ponds, lakes and fountains except those that recycle the water
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washing vehicles with hoses that do not contain shutoff nozzles
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washing sidewalks, patios and similar hard surfaces
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irrigating outdoors on consecutive days or more than three days a week
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lawn or garden watering that results in excessive runoff
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sewer and hydrant flushing and washing streets with potable (drinking) water supplied by EBMUD except for essential purposes
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the use of potable water for construction, soil compaction and dust control when another source is available
What happens if I violate the
prohibitions?
Customers who violate these rules may be subject to fines, water flow
restrictors, or loss of water service.
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Why should I conserve more if EBMUD isn't fixing its leaking pipes?
We are
repairing most leaks in one day, and striving to repair every possible leak
within seven days (some require complex street work due to the number of pipes
and utilities that are underground, or traffic control). Sometimes you see
leaks first! Please call 1-866-40-EBMUD to report leaks.
Visit our leaks FAQ page for more information.
Recent news reports have focused on long-term leaks in our system. We fix as
many of these leaks as possible, based on complexity of the repairs and the
desire to keep rates stable for our customers. The amount of water leaked and
not recovered from long-term leaks equals 0.05 percent of the water served to
our customers.
Why
should I conserve more so you can sell water to
Southern California?
That's a puzzling myth. We sell no water to Southern California, only to 1.3
million customers in our service area.
How are you
conserving water at EBMUD?
Our staff is vigilantly watching for and reporting leaks, and
we have cut our own indoor and outdoor landscape water use. We have 1,000
leak detection devices monitoring the pipes most susceptible to leaks due to
ground movement, so we can fix leaks even before they surface.
We have established
filling stations so that recycled water can be used for compaction and dust
control at local construction sites.
We flush water mains and do fire hydrant flow tests only when necessary for
health and safety. When possible, we recapture the flushed water and reuse
it for irrigation or other purposes.
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Through our Recycled Water Truck Program, a drought-proof water supply is free for construction crews normally using potable water for compaction and dust control. |
Flushing hydrants and water mains protects water quality and public health. When possible, EBMUD recaptures the water to use for irrigation and other purposes. |
How can I help get our community
to reduce overall water use?
The easiest way is to tell family, neighbors and friends about
water-saving
devices,
conservation tips, and
rebates. You can also help by
recommending ways to save water in your
neighborhood. Our staff will follow up on your recommendations to support
customers with free devices and information to help them use water more
efficiently. We appreciate your extra efforts to help us through this
drought.
