Monterey Peninsula Water Management District: nonfunctional turf: noncompliance and enforcement.

Plain English Breakdown

The exact penalties for noncompliance are not detailed in the bill text.

Monterey Peninsula Water Rules: Nonfunctional Turf Enforcement

This law allows the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District to enforce rules and impose penalties on people who use potable water for nonessential purposes, such as watering nonfunctional turf.

What This Bill Does

• It requires individuals or entities to be subject to civil liability or penalties imposed by the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District pursuant to a locally adopted ordinance or policy.
• The law authorizes the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District to enforce provisions related to prohibitions on using potable water for nonfunctional turf.

Who It Names or Affects

• People and businesses in the Monterey Peninsula area who have nonfunctional turf on commercial, industrial, institutional properties, or properties of homeowners’ associations, common interest developments, and community service organizations.
• The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, which can now enforce water conservation rules.

Terms To Know

Nonfunctional turf

Grass or other plants that do not serve a purpose like playing on or looking nice.

Water Management District

A local government group that manages water resources in an area.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify the exact penalties for noncompliance.
• It is unclear how this law will interact with existing state and urban water supplier regulations.

Official Summary Text

SB 1139, as amended, Laird.
Nonfunctional
Monterey Peninsula Water Management District: nonfunctional
turf: noncompliance and enforcement.
The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District Law establishes the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District. The act authorizes the district to, among other things, prohibit the use of district water during an emergency caused by drought, or other threatened or existing water shortage, for specific uses that the district finds to be nonessential.
Existing law prohibits the use of potable water for the irrigation of nonfunctional turf located on commercial, industrial, and institutional properties, other than a cemetery, and on properties of homeowners’ associations, common interest developments, and community service organizations or similar entities, as specified. Existing law requires a person or entity to be subject to civil
liability or penalties by the State Water Resources Control Board, as prescribed, or to civil liability and penalties imposed by an urban water supplier, pursuant to a locally adopted ordinance or policy. Existing law authorizes a public water system, city, county, or city and county to enforce the provisions relating to the prohibition, as specified.
This bill would require a person or entity to be subject to civil liability or penalties imposed by
a special
district with water conservation enforcement authority
the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District
pursuant to a locally adopted ordinance or policy. The bill would authorize
a special district with water conservation enforcement authority
the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District
to enforce the provisions relating to the prohibition, as specified.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF