Mayor adds name to list of those calling for mandatory water restrictions
SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – The Mayor of San Diego has a new warning about the drought. He is changing the rules, calling for mandatory conservation measures, because of dwindling supplies.
It is an indication that the water crisis is becoming a lot more serious.
In a news conference Tuesday, Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced he wants an elevation in the city’s drought response levels, from stage one to stage two.
The mayor is calling the last year the driest San Diego has seen in a generation, in 19 years, and even though San Diegans have been saving water, more is needed.
Reservoir levels have dropped drastically, that applies to state reservoirs, and reservoirs in San Diego. Ground water reserves are also depleted.
The scorching hot summer this year added to the crimp in supply.
The mayor says with water reserves so short, he will ask the City Council to approve a new phase of conservation that will affect all of us in some way.
This means that water-saving measures that have been only voluntary since July 1st, may soon become requirements by the city.
Some of the new rules will mean mandatory limits on lawn watering.
For example, residences with addresses that end in odd numbers can water on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
Residences with even numbers would water their lawns on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesday.
Condos, apartments and businesses can water Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
And during the months of June to October, one is limited to a maximum of ten minutes per day.
During the months of November through May, no more than seven minutes per assigned day.
If watering a lawn, one must use a hand held hose with a positive shut off nozzle, or a timed sprinkler system.
And if one is washing a car or truck, hours for that will limited to early in the morning before 10 a.m., or late in the day, after 6 p.m. The time changes to after 4 p.m., in months from June through October.
How long will these conservation measures be needed?
It’s really tough to say.
We’ve been down this path before, when form 2009 to 2011, the city also ordered mandatory conservation measures.
