Rain Enacts First-Time Watering Regulations

Windshield wipers and wet roads: signs that a small amount of relief has finally come to the Central Valley.

"It’s definitely exciting. We’ve been in a drought for so long. We definitely need the rain," Fresno resident Marshall Moushigian.

Tuesday’s storm brought a little relief, not just to farmers, but to residents as well. And now because mother nature watered your lawn, the city is telling you not to for at least 48 hours after the rain stops.

It’s part of Governor Brown’s statewide mandatory water restrictions. City conservationists say your first violation may just be a warning, but after that, you can face fines.

But Tuesday’s rain is just a drop in the bucket, and the city is still asking residents to do their part to save water.

"We want people to be reasonable to be sensible and to be respectful," City of Fresno Director of Communications, Mark Standriff said.

But Standriff said many people still aren’t saving water, and on a given day, at least 14,000 people are not following the restrictions.

So to help get people back on track, water conservationists are doing their job.

"If we see water being wasted, or a customer watering during non scheduled days or times, we’ll stop and identify that and talk to that customer as well," Water Conservation Representative Don Wells said.

Wells and his trainee spent the day checking for leaks, finding the home, reading the meter and educating the owner.

Then they got a call about a homeowner using sprinklers during the rain, something that is now illegal. Homeowners can not water their lawns 48 hours after a rainfall.

The sprinklers were off by the time conservationists got to the home, so Wells left a notice on the door.

Standriff says this rain is a great opportunity to make sure your sprinklers are doing what they should.

"This is a great opportunity to kind of let your sprinkler system relax, to be able to make sure that you are scheduled, that you’ve got everything dialed in and more importantly, save a little bit of money too," Standriff said.

Standriff says right now, the fine is $ 45, but if they need stricter restrictions, they will raise it.

He says soon, post cards will also be sent out to people whose water meters show spikes in irrigation.

These regulations are set to expire on April 25, 2014, but could be extended pending further mandates from Governor Brown.