Carlsbad is ratcheting up its water use restrictions in an effort to avoid potential fines.
California's Water Board fined four districts for failing to meet strict state conservation targets.
Carlsbad city officials said they want to stay off that list. The city is cutting back outdoor watering from two days a week to one.
The city wants to meet state conservation goals, which water officials are still missing by a percentage point or two.
"With us not making our target, and the looming fear of fines being levied, we felt that we needed to take this step in order to reach our target, or hopefully reach our target," said Mario Remillard, water conservation coordinator for the Carlsbad Municipal Water District.
The weather can help Carlsbad too, because rainy conditions and cooler temperatures will help keep water use down this winter, Remillard said.
"Even if we get our average rainfall we should be OK as long as we don't have those warm days in between," Remillard said. "We're just going to keep our eye on what's been happening with our weather pattern."
