Monov Vista Water District outlines new state conservation rules and AB 1572 implications for commercial turf

Kelly Donaldson, community affairs manager for the Monov Vista Water District, told the Montclair City Council that the district’s supply is roughly half groundwater and half imported water and that droughts are cyclical, so the new state rules are intended to make water use more resilient.

“ We are the most efficient users of water in our region,” Donaldson said, briefing council members on the history of local conservation and the state’s legislative framework. She framed the State Water Board’s 'water use objective' as a provider-level target comprised of indoor residential use, residential outdoor standards, commercial outdoor standards, and system water loss.

The presentation emphasized that the state targets apply to water agencies collectively rather than to individual homeowners. Donaldson explained how the district’s budget-based, tiered residential rates and parcel-by-parcel outdoor allocations factor into the new measurement methods and said the indoor residential benchmark will ratchet down from about 55 gallons per person per day toward lower targets over the next several years.

Donaldson told the council that AB 1572, enacted last year, prohibits the use of potable water to irrigate “nonfunctional turf” on commercial properties, HOA common areas, schools and many publicly owned sites. “If the only time you walk on the grass is to mow it, it’s nonfunctional,” she said, describing a phased compliance approach and noting that parks and recreational turf are excluded from the rule.

The district said it is coordinating with the Inland Empire Utilities Agency on a regional grant that will fund landscape transformations at selected public sites; Donaldson cited a planned conversion at Fire Station 151 as an early project stemming from that grant. She also described free and rebate programs for residential customers — including a program to swap in weather‑based irrigation controllers that will prevent sprinklers from running when it rains.

Council members asked whether multifamily apartment complexes are covered by AB 1572; Donaldson said late amendments to the bill removed many multifamily rental properties from the nonfunctional-turf mandate but that HOA common areas remain subject to the rule. On city‑owned properties, she said disadvantaged-community status can extend compliance timelines and that the district is pursuing grant funding to offset retrofit costs.

The district urged residents and businesses to use available rebates and technical assistance, and to contact the district for help applying for funding or designing landscape conversions. Donaldson closed by reminding the council that the state targets incorporate multiple components and that the district will continue outreach and partnership with the city to implement the rules locally.

The presentation concluded with council questions and brief answers about recycled/nonpotable water options, exemptions, and the sprinkler‑controller program.