Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) Board of Directors directed staff to discontinue drought penalties effective April 1, 2023. The Board will take formal action at the April 11 Board meeting.
The Board also voted to increase the District’s investment in conservation rebates by $1 million, making the total investment $14.35 million for this fiscal year.
CVWD has already paid $8.6 million in conservation rebates this fiscal year, with another $4.7 million in rebates approved and in progress. Revenues from drought penalties funded increased conservation rebates.
Investments in conservation rebates throughout the 2022-2023 fiscal year will convert 4.7 million square feet of turf.
The board will also consider returning to Level 1 of the Water Shortage Contingency Plan at the April 11 Board meeting. These actions are in response to the wet winter and Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement on March 24 to lift the state’s 15 percent voluntary conservation directive. The state’s ban on watering ornamental grass on commercial properties remains in place.
CVWD encourages customers to continue saving water and making conservation a way of life.
Additional water-saving tips, drought updates, and rebate information are available at cvwd.org/conservation.
Coachella Valley Water District is a public agency governed by a five-member board of directors. The district provides domestic and irrigation water, agricultural drainage, wastewater treatment and reclamation services, regional stormwater protection, groundwater management and water conservation. It serves approximately 108,000 residential and business customers across 1,000 square miles, located primarily in Riverside County, but also in portions of Imperial and San Diego counties.