Water restrictions in Whittier, CA — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Whittier homes are served by the City's own water division or by Suburban Water Systems. Under WMC 13.24.010 the public works director may restrict watering hours in an emergency. Suburban, serving much of the area, limits irrigation to three days weekly by even/odd address and bans watering from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or within 48 hours of rain.
Water restrictions in Whittier depend on who supplies your water. The City of Whittier operates its own municipal water division (Whittier Municipal Code Title 13, Division I). Section 13.24.010 (Restrictions during emergency) gives the director of public works the right, upon published notice, to restrict the use of water for sprinkling, wetting, irrigation, or construction to such hours and times as deemed advisable, and to turn off mains in an emergency. The City does not publish a fixed weekly watering-day schedule in the code; instead it points residents to California's State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) statewide rules - for example bans on letting irrigation water run off onto sidewalks, washing hard surfaces, and using a hose without an automatic shut-off nozzle - and operates a water-waste reporting hotline. Large portions of Whittier are instead served by Suburban Water Systems, a CPUC-regulated utility whose Stage 1 Water Shortage Contingency Plan restrictions are in effect at all times: irrigating ornamental landscape with potable water is limited to no more than three days per week, with even-numbered addresses watering Monday/Wednesday/Saturday and odd-numbered addresses Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday; irrigation is prohibited between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.; and watering is prohibited during and for 48 hours following measurable rainfall. Suburban exempts drip and micro-spray systems, hand watering with a shut-off nozzle, and recycled-water irrigation. Suburban also notes that if a city or county adopts different day/hour restrictions, Suburban may enforce the local agency's rules.
Excessive runoff onto sidewalks or streets, washing down paved surfaces, and using a hose without an automatic shut-off nozzle are prohibited under both the SWRCB statewide rules the City promotes and Suburban's Stage 1 rules. The City's director of public works can impose emergency hour restrictions (WMC 13.24.010); Suburban customers who water on the wrong days/hours violate the utility's tariff and risk water-waste enforcement.
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