Fountain Valley, CA Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

Chapter 14.18 of the Fountain Valley Municipal Code defines recycled water as the reclamation and reuse of non-potable water for irrigation. Section 14.18.040(w), titled Water Recycling Required if Alternative Available, is a conditional mandate with two triggers. First, the city must deliver to the customer an analysis showing that recycled water is a cost-effective alternative to potable water for the uses in question. Second, the customer must have had a reasonable time to make the conversion, as determined by the city manager or designee. Only after both steps does the prohibition on potable water for those specified uses take hold.

The text of the subsection does not itself list the uses, and it sets no calendar deadline, so the timeline in the City of Fountain Valley turns on the city's analysis and the manager's determination. Section 14.18.030(c) says the provisions of the chapter do not apply to the use of recycled water, so the fifteen-minute cap and the 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. watering ban are aimed at potable water. At Level 6 of the shortage plan in Section 14.18.050, however, the code states that restrictions can apply to recycled water as necessary.

Construction sites carry a related duty in Section 14.18.040(u)(1): no potable water for compacting or dust control where a reasonably available non-potable source approved by the State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water fits the use, and the condition must appear on drawings submitted to the city. Chapter 14.40 also lists discharges of reclaimed water from a lawfully permitted water treatment facility within the stormwater discharge exception.