City of Los Angeles Imposes Water Restrictions

In June, the city approved a new round of water restrictions similar to those imposed during the drought of the 1990’s. Those cited for violating these regulations are subject to a $50 fine for a first offense. Pending approval, there is a proposal to double the existing fines. Last year the 4 million residents Los Angeles used 200 billion gallons of water, according to the Department of Water & Power.

Under these restrictions residents cannot:

• Use water on hard surfaces such as sidewalks, walkways, driveways or parking areas (with the exception of water brooms).
• Water lawns between 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., April 1 to September 30 and between 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., October 1 to March 31.
• Allow excess water from sprinklers to flood gutters.
• Use water to clean, fill or maintain decorative fountains unless the water is part of a recirculation system.
• Serve water to customers in eating establishments, unless requested.
• Allow leaks to go unattended.

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I knew the city had issued these restrictions in June, but did not know the specifics until yesterday. In the past I’ve generally viewed these government restrictions as “guidelines”, never taking them too seriously. There was a time when I routinely hosed down all my walkways, and let the lawn sprinkler run for hours.

So what is the level of compliance at our household now? Well, we are not too far off the mark. Just last month all the plumbing leaks in the house were repaired. Our fountain is recirculating. I no longer hose down walkways. No sprinkler runoff. Do I water my lawn between specific hours? No… I just can’t wrap myself around this restriction yet. Easy to comply if you have an automated irrigation system; simply set the time earlier or later.

I am paying the price now for not installing an irrigation system years ago. I water almost all of the garden by hand, and in the summer it often takes an hour a day to properly irrigate our 4,800 square foot lot. This is no longer acceptable to me; too much time and too much water. We will change this.