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California has been facing a water shortage caused by years of below-average rainfall, low snowmelt runoff and the largest court-ordered water restrictions in state history. As a result, the San Diego County Water Authority reduced water deliveries to water agencies in the region by 8 percent.

In conjunction with recent actions by Governor Gerald Brown, the Metropolitan Water District, and the San Diego County Water Authority, on May 24, 2011 the Carlsbad Municipal Water District board declared the end of the drought and rescinded the Drought Response Level 2 – Drought Alert Condition. The current ten restrictions in Ordinance No. 44, Section 3.0, Water Waste Prohibitions, would continue to be in effect. The board reinforced the importance of residents and businesses to continue efficient water use practices in the face of ongoing supply challenges. 

• Washing down impervious surfaces, including but not limited to sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, or patios with water from a pressurized source, such as a garden hose, except when it is necessary to alleviate safety or sanitation hazards. When used in this section impervious surface means any surface covered with non-porous material.
• Water waste resulting from inefficient landscape irrigation, such as runoff, low head drainage, or overspray, etc. is prohibited. Water flows onto non-targeted areas, such as adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, hardscapes, roadways, or structures is prohibited.
• Use a hand-held hose equipped with a positive shut-off nozzle or bucket to water landscaped areas, including trees and shrubs located on residential and commercial properties that are not irrigated by a landscape irrigation system.
• Use re-circulated water to operate ornamental fountains.
• Wash vehicles using a bucket and a hand-held hose with positive shut-off nozzle or a mobile high pressure/low volume wash system.
• Serve and refill water in restaurants and other food service establishments only upon request.
• Offer guests in hotels, motels, and other commercial lodging establishments the option of not laundering towels and linens daily.
• Use recycled or non-potable water for construction purposes when available.
• Single pass-through cooling systems as part of new water service connections will be prohibited. Non-recirculating systems in all new conveyer car wash and commercial laundry systems will also be prohibited.
• The excess use, loss or escape of water through breaks, leaks or other, malfunctions in the water user's plumbing or distribution system for any period of time after such escape of water could have reasonably been discovered and corrected.