For the last five years, Californians have adjusted to a new reality when it comes to water usage. Not much will change now that the drought emergency is officially over.

After unprecedented rainfall and the development of a robust Sierra-Cascades snowpack, Gov. Jerry Brown declared an end to the drought emergency on April 7. Read the Chronicle's full coverage here.

Brown spoke with caution, stressing that "the next drought could be around the corner."

Many of the restrictions put into place during the dry years will remain, including those set forth in a May 2016 executive order, which determined permanent water use standards for municipalities, businesses and individuals.

According to B-37-16, permanent statewide restrictions include:

Hosing off sidewalks, driveways, and other hardscapes;

Washing automobiles with hoses not equipped with a shut-off

Using non-recirculated water in a fountain or other decorative water feature.

Watering lawns in a manner that causes runoff, or within 48 hours after measurable precipitation; and

Irrigating ornamental turf on public street medians.

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San Francisco set specific restrictions within city limits during the drought, and many of these prohibitions will remain in place on top of the statewide order.

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) states that the following prohibitions, specific to San Francisco residents, will remain indefinitely:

Using a hose, without a shut-off nozzle, for any purpose;

Washing sidewalks, driveways, plazas, and other outdoor hardscapes for reasons other than health, safety, or to meet City of San Francisco standards for sidewalk cleanliness and in a manner that causes runoff to storm drains and sewer catch basins;

Using drinking water for soil compaction, dust control, or other non-essential construction purposes if non-potable water is available;

Watering outdoor landscapes with potable water during and within 48 hours after a rain event;

Watering with potable water of ornamental turf on public street medians;

Irrigation of landscapes outside of new homes and buildings in a non-efficient manner;

Using drinking water in non-recirculating fountains or decorative water devices;

Serving water at restaurants without customer request; and

Not providing hotel guests the option to reuse towels and linens.

The agency is no longer asking for a 10 percent voluntary water use reduction. Mandatory reductions for dedicated irrigation customers, such as parks, have been lifted as well.

SFPUC takes a "progressive education" approach when it comes to enforcement of restrictions, says SFPUC's water conservation manager Julie Ortiz.

"Our first interest is to make sure we inform our customers and teach them alternative practices," she said. Ortiz explained that most reports of violations arrive through the agency's 311 hotline, while a team of field inspectors consistently have their "ears and eyes open."

Those suspected of violating the restrictions will typically be sent a courtesy notice followed by a warning letters. In some cases, a field inspector is dispatched.

SFPUC has the ability to fine perpetrators, but Ortiz says they have yet to do so as part of their belief that "informing people can correct their behavior."

"I think it's worked pretty well to date," she said.

While the emergency is over for now – except in Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Tuolomne counties – the future must be considered in times of plenty. The order predicts that climate change will lead to "more frequent and persistent" California droughts as warm winters lead to reduced snowpack in the Sierra Nevadas.

The emerald hills and wildflowers erupting across the state may signal a quenched California, but that shouldn't stop people from preparing for a future drought.

"The next drought could be as soon as next year," said SFPUC spokesperson Suzanne Gautier, who has experienced five droughts since moving to California in 1978. "Rather than reinvent the wheel when that happens, it makes good policy sense to maintain our water conservation practices."

Read Michelle Robertson’s latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.