(A) Water Conservation Stage 5 is also referred to as a “Critical Water Shortage” and applies during periods when the city will not be able to meet all of the water demands of its customers. Water Conservation Stage 5 may be caused by, but is not limited to, any or all of the following circumstances or events:
(1) A regional or statewide water supply shortage exists and a regional public outreach campaign is being implemented asking or requiring all persons to reduce water use;
(2) Groundwater wells are inoperable or unusable (such as by power outages, mechanical failure, or contamination);
(3) Alternative water supplies are limited or unavailable;
(4) Groundwater levels or groundwater quality is approaching levels which may require augmentation of the groundwater basin or other actions necessary to protect the groundwater basin as prescribed by the California Department of Water Resources, California Department of Public Health, Regional Water Quality Control Board, Riverside County, or some other regulatory body; and
(5) A major failure of any supply or distribution facility, whether temporary or permanent, occurs in the water distribution system of the State, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Western Municipal Water District, or city water facilities and the city cannot meet all of the water demands of its customers.
(B) The objective of the measures undertaken in Water Conservation Stage 5 is to reduce water consumption by forty percent or more as determined and recommended by the General Manager.
(C) Except as otherwise provided in this section, all water conservation and drought response measures of Water Conservation Stages 1, 2, 3, and 4 shall be in full force and effect during Water Conservation Stage 5. Upon declaration of a Water Conservation Stage 5 by the City Council, implementation by the city and publication of notice, the following water conservation and drought response measures shall apply:
(1) Water customers shall reduce their water consumption by 41% or more from the base year consumption amount for the duration of Water Conservation Stage 5. Provided, however, the base year consumption amount for subsequent fiscal years shall be determined by the city as appropriate in the event that the city is required to continue the Water Conservation Stage 5 for more than 12 months.
(2) All outdoor watering and irrigation of lawns and ground cover, and landscaping is prohibited, with the exception of the use of recycled water to irrigate fruit trees, lawns and ground covers, and ornamental trees and shrubs, which is permitted on any day and at any time. Recycled water shall not be permitted to run into city streets or the city storm water conveyance system.
(3) Provided the City Council has declared a water shortage emergency pursuant to California Water Code Sections 350 et seq., the city shall not allow any new connections to the water system during Water Conservation Stage 5.
(Ord. 2962 § 2 (part), 2009.)