Pomona, CA Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code Sec. 62-195
- Class II water source
- LA Co. Sanitation Dist. 21 or Inland Empire Utilities Agency
- Impaired water
- City well water, below full potable standard
- Rate-setting
- Fixed by city council resolution
- State oversight
- Reclaimed water use regulated by the state
- Administering department
- Utility services department
Summary
Pomona's water code splits reclaimed water into two grades, Class II water bought from the LA County Sanitation District 21 Pomona plant or the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, and impaired city well water. Both are billed at council-set rates, and every reclaimed water customer must also follow the state's own usage rules.
Class II water means that water purchased from either the Los Angeles County Sanitation District 21 Pomona Water Renovation Plant, meeting quality standards for discharge into the San Jose Creek, or the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, meeting quality standards for discharge into the Santa Ana River. Impaired water means city well water which is preferable in quality to class II water but which does not meet all the standards for potable and which can be supplied to class II water customers as a preferable replacement. ... (b)Exceptions. All sections of this article shall apply to the delivery of reclaimed water by the utility services department except sections 62-291, 62-292, 62-293, 62-296, 62-321, 62-322 and 62-324. (c)Rates. All class II water furnished by the utility services department shall be subject to the water rates as set by the city council by resolution. ... (d)Usage regulated by the state. The use of reclaimed water is regulated by the state. All consumers of reclaimed water shall comply with such regulations.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Code: Supplement 31).
Full Breakdown
City Code Sec. 62-195 governs reclaimed water delivered by the utility services department. It defines two classes: Class II water, purchased from either the Los Angeles County Sanitation District 21 Pomona Water Renovation Plant (meeting discharge standards for San Jose Creek) or the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (meeting Santa Ana River discharge standards), and impaired water, city well water that beats Class II quality but falls short of full potable standards, supplied to Class II customers as a substitute. Subsection (b) carves out most of Article IV's ordinary water-service rules for reclaimed deliveries, except sections 62-291, 62-292, 62-293, 62-296, 62-321, 62-322 and 62-324, which still apply.
Rates for both Class II and impaired water are fixed the same way as potable rates: by city council resolution, not negotiated per customer. Subsection (d) adds that reclaimed water use itself is regulated by the State of California, and every consumer of reclaimed water must comply with those state regulations in addition to the city's billing and delivery rules. The section traces to Ordinance No. 2638 and has been amended repeatedly through Ordinance No. 4075, reflecting decades of rate and source updates as the city's two supply agreements evolved.
Because reclaimed water customers sit inside the same utility fund structure as potable customers (Sec. 62-192), nonpayment or misuse exposes an account to the same billing remedies the water fund uses for any other class of service.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 62-195 carries no separate penalty of its own, so enforcement runs through the utility services department's general authority over water accounts. Refusing an authorized inspector access to premises supplied with city water, including reclaimed-water connections, lets the department cut off water after 24 hours' written notice of intent under Sec. 62-193. Utilities-chapter misdemeanors are otherwise punishable, per Sec. 62-361(a)'s cross-reference to Sec. 1-7, by up to 30 days in county jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as "Class II water" in Pomona?
Does reclaimed water cost the same as tap water in Pomona?
Do all of Pomona's water rules apply to reclaimed water?
Who else regulates how I use reclaimed water in Pomona?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pomona
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