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SD adopts mandatory water limits

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San Diego will start requiring — instead of asking — residents and businesses to save water, as the City Council voted unanimously Monday to invoke mandatory restrictions starting next month.

The shift from Stage 1 “drought watch” conditions to Stage 2 “drought alert” restrictions comes as California nears its fourth consecutive year of meager rainfall and a paltry snowpack. It’s designed to reduce water consumption in San Diego by 20 percent and forestall deeper cuts, according to a city staff report on the topic.

Across the county, the region’s wholesale water provider and most retail water districts have adopted forced limits on water use.

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“I am pleased that the City Council approved these mandatory restrictions,” said Councilman David Alvarez, chair of the environment committee. “It is critical that we take action now in order to guard against more severe restrictions in the future.”

Under the new restrictions, San Diegans must limit outdoor watering to three days a week, based on a schedule set by the city. Sprinklers will be limited to 10 minutes per day in warm months and just seven minutes per day in cool months.

San Diegans will also need to use timed sprinklers or hoses with a shut-off nozzle for landscape irrigation. The rules also limit watering time and frequency of hand-watered and potted plants.

Ornamental fountains must be shut off except for maintenance purposes; the city didn’t specify Monday what constitutes maintenance. Under voluntary water restrictions, fountains could operate using recirculated water.

Other restrictions limit car washing, construction-related water use and non-emergency access to fire hydrants.

The stepped-up conservation program would add to water-saving rules that the city has enforced since 2011.

Those include requirements for people to fix water leaks within 72 hours, avoid excessive irrigation and refrain from washing sidewalks and driveways.

In addition, restaurants are supposed to fill water glasses only upon request and hotels need to give guests the option of not laundering towels and linens daily.

The restriction on fountains is the first time the city has ordered a shutoff on water features since 2009.

The rule bans operation of fountains on both public property and private businesses and residences, city spokeswoman Robyn Bullard said. Occasional use for maintenance purposes, such as to maintain motors, is still allowed.

It applies to ornamental fountains only, leaving splash pads and other recreational water features, such as the county’s Waterfront Park near San Diego harbor, in operation.

The city runs 32 fountains in city parks, half of which adorn the grounds of Balboa Park, said Assistant Park and Recreation Director Andy Field. Among those is the Bea Evenson Fountain near the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.

The new San Diego rules include potential fines starting at $100, but city officials said they don’t anticipate issuing many citations. Instead, they said, city officials will try to educate customers about water waste problems, and let them know how to solve them.

“Our goal here is not to launch a massive citation system, but rather to remedy the incidents of noncompliance,” Bullard said. “When we receive notification of someone not adhering to water use restrictions, that individual or business is notified and given the opportunity and time to comply.”

The Public Utilities Department aims to boost enforcement of the restrictions, but said they won’t hire new staff to do so, Bullard said. Instead, up to 10 members of the department will be assigned to follow up on water waste complaints and make sure San Diegans are complying with the new rules.

Earlier this month, Mayor Kevin Faulconer and the City Council’s environment committee separately urged a transition to mandatory water limits, arguing that the city needed to increase its rate of conservation.

Despite blistering weather during much of the late summer and early fall, San Diegans managed to save water in August and September compared with the same months in 2013. San Diego water users cut consumption by 5.7 percent in September and 4.4 percent in August compared to a year ago. Water officials called those significant steps toward reducing water use, but acknowledged that the city must do more to conserve.

The State Water Resources Control Board announced this month that Californians as a whole used 11.5 percent less water this August than they did the same time last year. It was the first full month of water-consumption data since the agency imposed unprecedented, statewide restrictions on outdoor watering as an emergency action amid the prolonged drought.

Despite those savings, Californians haven’t come close to the 20 percent conservation rate that Gov. Jerry Brown called for in January when he declared the third straight year of drought.

The lack of rainfall this year was compounded by record heat, which has complicated efforts to reduce water use. The first seven months of the year are the warmest on record for California, the city reported. Meanwhile, water storage on the Colorado River and in California reservoirs is about half of average, the city of San Diego reported.

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