This summer, area residents will have to live with the most severe water-use restrictions in nearly two decades.

In most cases, providers have backpedaled on threats to sock it to customers with sharply higher water rates if they fail to curb usage. However, all but a few agencies are going to some form of mandatory conservation.

In many communities, people will face restrictions on when and how long they can water, and prohibitions against hosing down driveways and filling ornamental fountains.

And in Temecula, it will be illegal to hold a charity car wash.

Those who violate the new rules, most of which take effect July 1, could be fined hundreds of dollars.

Rules will vary from community to community.

For example, filling fountains, waterfalls and birdbaths will be illegal in most places. But it won't be in the Riverside County territory served by Eastern Municipal Water District.

On the other hand, everyone will be asked to avoid watering lawns and gardens during hot and breezy daylight hours.

And almost every San Diego County agency will limit watering to three days a week. For the most part, families with addresses ending in odd numbers will be asked to water Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, while those with even-number addresses water Saturday, Monday and Wednesday.

Most also will demand that customers repair sprinkler leaks within 72 hours.

In Riverside County, providers are less concerned about specific days than the bottom line: how much water is used in a given month.

Eastern, Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District and Rancho California Water District will ask customers to stay within specific allocations, or water budgets. If they don't, they will pay more for the extra water they use.

The budgets are based on how much the agencies believe families need, taking into account lot sizes and the number of people in homes.

"We don't want just to take prior years' use and cut it by 10 percent," said Perry Louck, director of planning for Rancho California Water District. "Our goal is to get efficient water use."

Other agencies will ask customers to cut back a certain percentage from historical usage. Rainbow and Vallecitos water districts set mandatory reduction targets of 8 percent, matching the amount by which they must curb deliveries from the San Diego County Water Authority to avoid being penalized by the regional supplier.

However, across the board, districts and cities won't ask the most frugal users to cut back and pay more for their water if they don't.

That was a relief for Clarence Weiler, a retired high school machine-shop teacher from Escondido who is served by Rincon Del Diablo Water District.

"I can't cut another drop," Weiler said.

Weiler lives on 1.5 acres and has dramatically curtailed his water use in recent years.

"We have a little grass area that is 10 by 18 (feet)," he said. "We used to have an area that was a half-acre under sprinklers. That's all changed. It's all dead now. It's just kind of like desert there."

Those in denial about this being a desert region may have the toughest time coping this summer.

"It's going to be very hard for the people who have been using water like we are in a tropical rain forest," said Sheila Walson, a Bonsall resident.

Still, most people are using less water than they were last year.

Consumption is down 15 percent in Eastern territory, 14 percent in Del Mar, 10 percent in the Olivenhain area, 10 percent in Fallbrook and 7 percent in Escondido, officials said.

But officials said they are prepared to hike water rates if people start slipping.

Here are highlights of this summer's restrictions:

Carlsbad Municipal Water District

Serves: 86,000 people

Average monthly household usage: 12 units

Landscape watering: Limited to three days a week, 10 minutes per sprinkler station; banned between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Banned

Rate increase? Carlsbad City Council to consider June 23

Web site: www.carlsbadca.gov/water/

Del Mar

Serves: 4,000 people

Average monthly household usage: 14 units

Landscape watering: No limits; suggested that homeowners avoid watering between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Allowed

Rate increase? No

Web site: www.delmar.ca.us

Eastern Municipal Water District

Serves: 675,000 people in Menifee, Moreno Valley, French Valley, Hemet, Perris, Temecula, Murrieta

Average monthly household usage: 18 units

Landscape watering: *Limited to 15 minutes per day per sprinkler station; banned between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. No limits on number of days.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Allowed

Rate increase? *Penalty for "wasteful" use may double. Eastern adopted permanent tiered rates in March, and consumption within the fourth tier is considered wasteful. The board will consider increasing the rate in that fourth tier.

Web site: www.emwd.org

Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District

Serves: 140,000 people in Lake Elsinore, Temescal Canyon, Wildomar, Canyon Lake

Average monthly household usage: 20 units

Landscape watering: Suggested that homeowners water no more than four days a week, 15 minutes per sprinkler station, before 6 a.m. and after 8 p.m.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Allowed

Rate increase? District board to consider June 25

Web site: www.evmwd.com

Escondido

Serves: 100,000 people

Average monthly household usage: **10 units

Landscape watering: Limited to three days a week; banned between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Allowed

Rate increase? No

Web site: www.ci.escondido.ca.us/depts/ut/index.html

Fallbrook Public Utility District

Serves: 35,000 people

Average monthly household usage: **40 units

Landscape watering: Limited to three days a week, 10 minutes per sprinkler station; banned between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Banned

Rate increase? No

Web site: www.fpud.com

Oceanside

Serves: 180,000 people

Average monthly household usage: 15 units

Landscape watering: Limited to three days a week, 10 minutes per sprinkler station; banned between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Allowed

Rate increase? No

Web site: www.ci.oceanside.ca.us

Olivenhain Municipal Water District

Serves: 68,000 people in parts of Encinitas, Carlsbad, Fairbanks Ranch, Elfin Forest, Olivenhain

Average monthly household usage: 23.5 units

Landscape watering: Limited to three days a week, 10 minutes per sprinkler station; banned between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Allowed

Rate increase? No new increase. Drought rates went into effect March 1.

Web site: www.olivenhain.com

Poway

Serves: 50,000 people

Average monthly household usage: 17 units

Landscape watering: Limited to three days a week; banned between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Banned

Rate increase? Poway City Council to consider in July.

Web site: www.ci.poway.ca.us/Index.aspx?page=326

Rainbow Municipal Water District

Serves: 18,000 people

Average monthly household usage: 26 units

Landscape watering: Limited to three days a week, 10 minutes per sprinkler station; banned between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Allowed

Rate increase? Yes. If customers fail to cut back by 8 percent, they will pay extra.

Web site: www.rainbowmwd.com

Ramona Municipal Water District

Serves: 40,000 people

Average monthly household usage: 20 units

Landscape watering: Limited to three days a week, 15 minutes per sprinkler station; banned between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Banned

Rate increase? No

Web site: www.rmwd.org

Rancho California Water District

Serves: 130,000 people in Temecula, Murrieta, Wine Country, De Luz

Average monthly household usage: 23 units

Landscape watering: No restrictions on days; banned between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Allowed

Rate increase? Yes. Customers who exceed water budgets will pay extra.

Web site: www.ranchowater.com

Rincon Del Diablo Municipal Water District

Serves: 30,000 people in the Escondido area

Average monthly household usage: 25 units

Landscape watering: Suggested that residents limit watering to three days a week; discouraged between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Allowed

Rate increase? No

Web site: www.rinconwater.org

San Dieguito Water District

Serves: 38,000 people in Encinitas

Average monthly household usage: 15 units

Landscape watering: Limited to three days a week, 10 minutes per sprinkler station; banned between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Banned

Rate increase? No

Web site: www.ci.encinitas.ca.us/Government/CityD/SanDWD/

Santa Fe Irrigation District

Serves: 25,000 people in Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe and Fairbanks Ranch

Average monthly household usage: 63 units

Landscape watering: Limited to three days a week, 10 minutes per sprinkler station; banned between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Banned

Rate increase? No

Web site: www.sfidwater.org

Vallecitos Water District

Serves: 80,000 people in San Marcos, Lake San Marcos, Escondido, Vista, Carlsbad

Average monthly household usage: 19 units

Landscape watering: limited to three days a week, 10 minutes per sprinkler station; banned between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Banned

Rate increase? Yes. If customers fail to cut back by 8 percent, they will pay extra.

Web site: www.vwd.org

Valley Center Municipal Water District

Serves: 26,000 people

Average monthly household usage: Unavailable

Landscape watering: Limited to three days a week, 10 minutes per sprinkler station; banned between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Allowed

Rate increase? No

Web site: www.vcmwd.org

Western Municipal Water District

Serves: 70,000 people in parts of Murrieta and Riverside

Average monthly household usage: 33 units

Landscape watering: Banned between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. District board to consider June 17 restricting watering to three days a week: Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday for even-numbered addresses; Saturday, Monday, Wednesday for odd-numbered addresses.

Water for fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths: Allowed

Rate increase? No. However, the district is developing water budgets for customers and, beginning in spring 2010, people will pay extra if they exceed their budgets.

Web site: www.wmwd.com

*Eastern Municipal Water District board to vote on measures June 17.

**One unit is defined as 748 gallons in most areas. In Escondido and Fallbrook, it is 1,000 gallons. All figures in this article are based on 748 gallons to provide for comparisons.

Call staff writer Dave Downey at 760-745-6611, ext. 2623.

Previous stories:

REGION: SoCal agency orders water cuts

REGION: Officials impose mandatory water conservation in San Diego County

REGION: Officials say drought is serious business