The new watering schedule from the DWP goes in to effect today - and I, for one, am worried that people are going to water MORE as a result. Let's do everything we can to get the word out and to inspire people to implement it without increasing their water usage.
Our home ends with a 9 so we can water on Mon, Wed and Fri. I see no reason to go to 3 days a week and I don't think that fewer minutes on 3 days would be a benefit to our native plants. So we will try to remain on 5 minutes on Mon and Fri. Am I happy that I am watering 3 days apart? No! Especially given that before the restrictions, we watered only every 5 days! But in this heat, I don't think our plants could take watering just once a week.
See the details below.....
LOS ANGELES — Changes to the City of Los Angeles' Water Conservation Ordinance went into effect today for Los Angeles City residents and businesses, allowing LADWP customers to water with sprinklers up to three days per week. Customers whose street addresses end with an odd number – 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 – are permitted to use their sprinkler systems on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Customers whose addresses end in even numbers – 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8 are permitted to do so on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Addresses ending in fractions are treated as whole numbers and observe the same day restrictions as others on their same side of the street, (ie: 4321 ½ is regarded as 4321, an odd-numbered address.)
Sprinkler time limits are based on the type of nozzle used. Spray head sprinklers and bubblers, which are non-conserving models and are common in most landscapes, are allowed up to 8 minutes per watering station per day. Rotors and multi-stream rotary heads are allowed 15 minutes per cycle and up to two cycles per day per watering station. Watering with sprinklers is restricted to hours before 9:00 a.m. and after 4:00 p.m., regardless of the watering day.
All other prohibited uses of water, which include prohibiting hosing down driveways and sidewalks and water runoff, requiring all leaks be fixed and only using hoses fitted with shut-off nozzles, remain in effect. Hand-watering using garden hoses fitted with shut-off nozzle devices is permissible any day of the week before 9:00 a.m. and after 4:00 p.m.
The changes to the Ordinance were approved by the Board of Water and Power Commissioners on July 22. The Los Angeles City Council approved the revisions on August 18 and the Mayor signed them into law on Monday.
Educational awareness efforts, and enforcement where applicable, will continue to be conducted by the LADWP Water Conservation Team, whose members actively patrol Los Angeles communities to help inform customers of water waste they observe in progress and learn about through tips from neighbors and concerned residents who call 1-800-DIAL DWP or send e-mails to waterconservationteam@ladwp.com.
In an effort to help our customers save water and money, LADWP offers a rebate on water conserving sprinkler nozzles of up to $8 per nozzle. The Department offers numerous other rebate programs and incentives for switching to water efficient devices and tips for easy ways to reduce water use. This information, as well as comprehensive information on the new watering schedules and the prohibited uses of water, is all available at www.ladwp.com.
Customers may apply for a Hardship Variance from specific Ordinance requirements, including customers in designated High Fire Severity Zones. Variance Instructions and Forms are available online at www.ladwp.com/waterconservation and at all LADWP Service Center locations. For more information, call 213-367-0771.
