UPDATE: Marin Water Board Lifts Some Water Restrictions, Penalties Following Early Season Storms

MARIN COUNTY (BCN / KPIX 5) – The Marin Water Board of Directors has removed some customer water-use limits and associated penalties, citing "significant winter rainfall" that has replenished local reservoirs.

The restriction repeal affects single-family and dedicated irrigation meter customers in Marin County only.

Plentiful rainfall in October and December of 2021 accumulated over 74,000 acre-feet by this month, or 95 percent of total storage capacity, according to Marin Water.

The board had previously imposed water-saving restrictions on Dec. 1 after reservoirs had reached historic low levels beginning in the summer. Had the restrictions remained in effect, customers who exceeded established limits would have been penalized starting Feb. 1.

"By the time they were set to kick in we were out of the immediate drought emergency," Marin Municipal Water District Board member Larry Bragman told KPIX 5 ahead of Tuesday's vote.

Other water use restrictions remain in place, such as swimming pool-filling and irrigation limits, but will be reviewed by the board at its Feb. 1 meeting, according to Marin Water.

Before the recent rain, the district's reservoirs had been projected to reach "dire conditions" by this summer unless "drastic improvements" to the water supply were undertaken, such as mandatory residential water use limits, Marin Water officials said.

People can visit marinwater.org for more information and updates.