Cal Water easing restrictions on water usage after wet winter

CHICO, Calif. — After years of drought, Chico residents can finally water their lawns and irrigate any day of the week.

Cal Water submitted a filing Monday with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to rescind stage two of the Water Shortage Contingency Plan because of improved drought conditions and increased water supply throughout its districts.

Stage one becomes effective immediately but remains subject to a 30-day review period by the CPUC.

KRCR reached out to Cal Water officials on Wednesday to see how this impacts water levels locally.

“With those irrigation users being able to utilize surface water this year, we expect that this would decrease the amount of groundwater pumping and be beneficial to our water table,” said Evan Markey with Cal Water.

Cal Water encourages customers to remain vigilant about their water use and ensure landscaping actually needs water before irrigating it. Some outdoor water restrictions still remain in place including watering only between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m.

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