Starting on May 1, tough new water restrictions go into place in Poway and violators could face hefty fines.
The restrictions are an effort to comply with Governor Jerry Brown’s Executive Order on drought restrictions amid California’s historic dry spell.
It will mean a big change in the day-to-day watering habits for residents in Poway.
Here’s a look at the changes:
- No watering will be allowed between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
- There will be two designated water days.
- Homeowners with even numbered addresses will only be allowed to water on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
- Those with odd numbered addresses will only be allowed to water on Sundays and Thursdays.
- Apartments, condos and businesses will be allowed to water on Mondays and Fridays.
- For Poway resident Nick Pfieffer, it’s a significant change.
“Normally, it’s about 10 minutes each station, every day in the morning. It'll have to shut down to 10 minutes every other day now. And during those off days, if it's really hot, it’s gonna probably kill and it's been real hard to keep it like this,” said Pfeiffer.
First-time offenders will get a courtesy notice, but after that it will get expensive.
Violators will face a surcharge of $100 on their bills for the next offense and as much as $500 if it keeps happening.
After that violators will face a surcharge of $100 for the next offense and as much as $500 if it keeps happening.
Local
City employees and retired volunteer patrol officers will monitor neighborhoods keeping a close eye out for violators.
According to Poway’s city website, the city has already begun taking steps to conserve water at city facilities and parks.
On April 22, the City Council authorized staff to begin removing nearly 86,000 square feet of grass at 11 city facilities and parks reducing the city’s annual water use by 2.9 million gallons. In compliance with the Governor’s Executive Order, the Poway will also stop watering grass on city-maintained street medians unless irrigated with reclaimed water.
In addition, Poway has begun installing water-efficient showerheads and dual-flush toilet valves in city facilities, using water-wise landscaping in parking lots, and installing smart irrigation controllers.
