We’re all getting familiar with water restrictions. But some deeper regulations are in place that might be a bit more mysterious.

Violating San Diego’s storm water regulations, for example, could be a costly offense. The regulations are so detailed, folks can get in trouble for overwatering lawns, washing cars or letting air conditioning units drip. That’s because this water could be polluted or sweep up pollutants as it travels from gutters toward the ocean.

READ MORE: Where San Diego Gets its Water — and Where it Goes

These rules have become a powerful tool during the drought, since they regulate over-irrigation. The Regional Water Quality Control Board, part of a larger state agency, is looking all over the county to make sure cities are cracking down.

On this week’s San Diego Explained, Ry Rivard and NBC 7’s Catherine Garcia walk through what fines you might get slapped with and steps new businesses need to take to comply with the rules.

Correction: In the video, we misidentified yeast as a bacteria. Yeast is a fungus.

Catherine Green

Catherine Green was formerly the deputy editor at Voice of San Diego. She handled daily operations while helping to plan new long-term projects.

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