State Water Resources Control Board restrictions are likely to be in place by summer, both city and county officials said Thursday.

Benicia Public Works Director Graham Wadsworth said the limits on water use might be effective as soon as in the next two months; and David Okita, general manager of the Solano Water Agency, said the state might take marginally more time.

Either way, Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order Wednesday declaring California’s first-ever statewide water restrictions becausin response to the severe multi-year drought, telling water users they must cut back consumption by 25 percent.

Now, “cities and water districts are getting pressure from the state to provide rebates, implement conservation pricing and increase enforcement of outdoor water restrictions,” Wadsworth said.

But Benicia already is doing much of this, he said.

“City staff have been providing rebate information, mailing home water reports to residents, and placing informational door hangers when violations are found,” he said.

Residential and commercial water customers in Benicia already have met Brown’s earlier goal of a 20-percent cutback, and “If they stay on track to reduce usage by 25 percent, then additional enforcement will not be required,” Wadsworth said, explaining that municipal employees will be helping Benicians reach that goal.

“This year, city staff will be working more with businesses to participate in water use surveys, rebate programs and water conservation projects to reduce water use,” he said, adding that company owners curious about participating may visit the city-run website, www.BeniciaBusiness.com.

“In terms of the governor’s call for conservation pricing, the city has already implemented a drought surcharge, which is part of the city’s Emergency Water Conservation Plan,” Wadsworth said.

The more water people use, the higher the surcharge they must pay, he explained.

Should Benicia fail to achieve the 25-percent cutback (compared to 2013 consumption), Wadsworth said, “City staff will need to evaluate options.”

Okita assured that Benicia water customers don’t have to reduce their consumption by another 25 percent above the 20-percent cutback most already have reached.

He said the State Water Resources Control Board will look hardest at communities that have been lax in trying to meet Brown’s earlier 20-percent goal. The panel also will take into consideration whether a city is in a position to cut back, Okita said.

For example, he said, while landscape irrigation often accounts for half a customer’s water use, many San Francisco homes have no lawns or gardens.

They can’t take advantage of any “cash-for-grass” lawn replacement rebates, since many have no yards — but on the other hand, Okita said, Santa Barbara has spacious mansions with just as spacious lawns, and such places might face even stricter state requirements, including a 35-percent mandatory water use cutback.

“I’m not sure how our area will be judged,” he said. “We’ll see what the state comes up with.”

He said cities should see drafts of the guidelines within weeks, after which they are likely to be circulated for public comment before being put in place by summer.

Okita said his agency doesn’t have any new tips on water savings, pointing to a list of suggestions and recommendations already on its website, www.scwa2.com.

Other tips and offers:

• Solano County Water Agency, in partnership with Pacific Gas and Electric, is offering qualified residents $150 rebates to buy high-efficiency washing machines. Residents can see rebate qualifications at www.waterenergysavings.com.

• The Smart Irrigation Controller Rebates program proved so popular, it ran out of funds. But those who decide to replace their lawns with water-efficient landscaping can get $1 for each square foot removed, up to a $1,000 maximum. Qualifications and restrictions are available at solanosaveswater.org/2014/12/02/turf-replacement-rebate-program.

• Okita’s agency recommends using front-load clothes washers because they use 40 percent less water, and running clothes and dish washers only when they are fully loaded. The agency recommends shutting off any water source when it isn’t in use, including while soaping hands, shaving, brushing teeth or rinsing dishes.

• Residents and business owners should check their toilets for leaks, learn how to read their water meters and prevent and report water waste, Okita said.

• Outdoors, watering between midnight and 6 a.m. and in two short cycles to a depth of 4 to 6 inches reduces water loss through evaporation and encourages stronger plant roots.

• Hand watering targets specific garden sites. Those using sprinkler systems should inspect them periodically and make sure the system doesn’t cause water to drain off the lawn or hit sidewalks, driveways or streets.

• Brooms, not hoses, should be used to clean driveways, decks and patios, because washing them uses about 50 gallons of water every five minutes.

• Those washing their vehicles should use buckets and a hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle, or take the vehicle to a car wash that recycles its water. Covering pools and hot tubs reduces evaporation, too.

Benicia’s summer watering limits for residents and businesses became effective Wednesday.

Through Oct. 15, those with addresses ending in odd numbers — 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 — may water Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Those with even-number addresses — ending in 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 — may water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. All must water before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m.

The city website’s water conservation page, which can be found at www.ci.benicia.ca.us/, has other tips, too.

Many resemble those Okita has recommended. The city further suggests limiting showers to five minutes or less, fixing any leaks within 48 hours and installing high-efficiency appliances and fixtures, from shower heads and faucets to toilets, dishwashers and clothes washers.

Other offers through the city:

• A few “laundry-to-landscape” graywater conversion kits are available, and those interested may call Climate Action Plan Coordinator Alex Porteshawver, 707-746-4276.

• Residents can calculate their water consumption by filling out an online form at www.waterbudgets.com/ConserVision/CUWCC/Datainput.htm.

• Through a contract with WattzOn, Benicia offers free water and energy examinations, $50 in energy- and water-efficient products and recommendations on how to conserve consumption and save money. Those interested may call 800-341-5997 or email info@wattzon.com.

• The city’s Business Resource Incentive Program offers similar opportunities for Benicia Industrial Park companies, to which it can provide resource management analyses and reimbursements, grants and loans for those putting recommended projects in place. Those interested may visit www.beniciabusiness.com/business-resource-incentive-program.

Mark Ghilarducci, director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said Brown’s visit Wednesday to the Sierras, during the last seasonal survey of the snowpack, “really confirmed what I think we all knew — that the snowpack is the lowest on record.”

The snowpack provides California with nearly a third of its water, making it the state’s largest “reservoir,” U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Napa, said during a recent talk in Benicia.

Ghilarducci said Brown asked Californians last year to reduce consumption by 20 percent but, “unfortunately, many haven’t stepped up to meet that goal. This year has to be different. We are in a critical stage, and conservation will be paramount.”

Mark Cowin, director of the Department of Water Resources, said that in normal years the Sierra snowpack accounts for 15 million acre-feet of storage. The 2015 measurement indicates the amount is about 6 percent of that volume.

“That big reservoir is near empty,” Cowin said. Instead, the state will depend on lakes and groundwater and will have to balance the needs of people, endangered species and the environment.

Felicia Marcus, chairperson of the State Water Resources Control Board, said the new state restrictions would be based on per-capita use and a sliding scale, with those who have been conserving all along would face lower targets.

“That’s the fairest and most effective way to go,” she said.