Southern California is experiencing severe drought conditions, and 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.

The city of West Hollywood is getting the word out about the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s water conservation rules now in effect. All LADWP customers – residential and commercial – are now limited to two-days-a-week outdoor watering as well as other water use restrictions. LADWP customers with street addresses ending in odd-numbers may water on Mondays and Fridays and customers with even-numbered street addresses may water on Thursdays and Sundays, before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m. LADWP’s new rules call for no watering between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., regardless of the day.

New LADWP 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 before 9 a.m. and after 4 p.m. if the hose is equipped with a self-closing water shut-off device.

Existing water conservation practices include continue to be in place when 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.

In addition, 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 and no washing of vehicles should occur using a hose without a self-closing nozzle.

More information on the new watering days is available at ladwp.com/wateringdays.

LADWP is also urging customers to act 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 ladwp.com/save. Commercial customers can visit ladwp.com/cwr for rebates and programs.

West Hollywood residents and businesses are served by two water utility companies: Beverly Hills Public Works and LADWP. Both utilities encourage their customers to continue to use water efficiently. Residents and businesses should voluntarily reduce water use to help preserve the region’s water storage reserves in response to extreme drought conditions. In May 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom warned that he may need to enact mandatory water restrictions throughout the state. 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 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 weho.org/waterconservation.