Manhattan Beach imposes citywide water regulations

NOT A DROP: Manhattan Beach Public Works Director Tony Olmos (right) speaks to the community on a panel about the new water regulations on Tuesday.

By Lizzy Tsuang
Staff Writer

Manhattan Beach is adopting new city-wide water usage restrictions that will be implemented in June as California enters the Stage Three Water Allocation Plan due to the ongoing drought.

Stage Three includes new restrictions that will prohibit washing vehicles outside of commercial car washes and limit landscape watering to once a week from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. on Wednesdays for even-numbered addresses and Fridays for odd-numbered addresses.

“This is a small steps of coming together and creating an environmentally stable community,” Manhattan Beach City Utilities Manager Raul Saenz said.

The new restrictions are part of the Water Conservation Ordinance, a mandate that the Manhattan Beach City Council members adopted in 2009.

“The ordinance acts as our guide of what to implement and when to implement it,” Manhattan Beach Environmental Programs Manager Sona Coffee said.

When the restrictions are enforced in June, Manhattan Beach police will drive around the community during the time landscape watering is supposed to be turned off for residents. If these rules are violated, residents may receive a five-day notice before they are fined up to $300 for not following the latest regulations.

“With police officers driving through the streets, it is easy to tell who the violators are,” Olmos said.

City representatives informed residents on the increased restrictions of water in reaction to the drought at a informational memorandum on Tuesday at the Manhattan Beach Public Library.

The city representatives will formally present the information that was presented at the Memorandum on Tuesday to Manhattan Beach City Council.

“We are trying to educate our community through these meetings in order to make sure all our residents are aware,” Manhattan Beach Public Works Director Tony Olmos said at the meeting. “I am hopeful that these meetings will be instrumental in spreading the information and the awareness that is necessary in our community.”