Now two of those agencies, the Coachella Valley Water District and the Indio Water Authority, have reached deals with the state that will allow them to use the money locally to promote water conservation.
The Indio Water Authority has agreed to use its $61,000 to support multiple programs aimed at boosting water conservation, including a rebate program to help residents purchase more efficient evaporative coolers, and the creation of a website that will allow people to see real-time information about their water use.
Beverly Hills has paid its $61,000 fine, and Redlands is still in negotiations with state officials, said Cris Carrigan, chief of the state board’s Office of Enforcement. Carrigan said the deals with Indio and CVWD are an “excellent arrangement” that will help encourage more conservation.
In March, CVWD’s customers used 18 percent less water than they did in the same month in 2013, which the state uses as a baseline year. From June through March, the water district has achieved cumulative reductions of 24 percent, well below its state-set target, which for most of that period was 36 percent. In February, the state changed CVWD’s reduction target to 32 percent.
