Riverside Highland Water Company Restricts Water Use

At the July 24 Riverside Highland Water Company (RHWC) Board meeting, the Board of Directors approved Stage 2 of the Company’s Water Shortage Contingency Plan. The adoption of this plan is the result of a three-year drought and a statewide directive to restrict water use for all Californians. These restrictions include: washing down driveways and sidewalks; watering of outdoor landscapes that cause excess runoff; using a hose to wash a motor vehicle, unless the hose is fitted with a shut-off nozzle, and using potable water in a fountain or decorative water feature, unless the water is recirculated. In addition to the state-mandated restrictions, the RHWC is also requesting other water conservation measures: water served in restaurants will be by request only and the RHWC is requesting customers to reduce outside watering to no more than four days per week and only between the hours of 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. At the current time, we are requesting voluntary water conservation. RHWC will not be issuing fines, but will work with their customers through verbal communication as well as hang tags when they observe noncompliance. However, if the community does not respond to conservation or if the state requires additional cutbacks, we may be forced to issue fines in the future. Our goal is to pull together as a community to conserve water. "We at Riverside Highland Water Company believe that through education and communication, our customers will understand the seriousness of the situation and come together to save water for the benefit of our community’s future," said company officials.