City institutes conservation program
Published in the April 16 29, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
The city has declared a Level 1 water supply shortage that requires residents to limit watering lawns, quickly repair leaks and prohibits washing down hard or paved surfaces. The city council adopted the resolutions at its April 2 meeting. They authorize the city manager to execute the agreement for the WaterSmart Conservation Program.
The ordinance contains ongoing everyday limits aimed at reducing water waste and permanently enhancing efficiency. A complete list of the ongoing limits established by this ordinance can be found at http://www.morganhill.ca.gov/index.aspx?NID=834.
In addition to these ongoing limits, the city’s ordinance establishes a response plan for the city to use during droughts and other supply shortages when reductions greater than 10 percent are needed. Based on Santa Clara Valley Water District’s recommendation that water retailers implement the mandatory measures needed to achieve a 20 percent reduction in water use, the Level I Water Supply Shortage was declared.
During a Level I condition, the following provisions apply:
• Limits on watering days. Watering a lawn, landscape or other vegetated area with potable water is limited to a maximum of three days, establishing Monday, Wednesday and Friday as watering/irrigation days in Morgan Hill April through October, and one day per week from November through March.
• Obligation to fix leaks, breaks or malfunctions. All leaks, breaks, or other malfunctions in the water user’s plumbing or distribution system must be repaired within 72 hours of notification by the city unless other arrangements are made with the city.
• No washing down hard or paved surfaces. This is prohibited except when necessary to alleviate safety or sanitary hazards.
In addition, each customer will get a bi-monthly report detailing their specific water score that compares their water usage to that of similar homes in the community. By informing customers about their water use and how it compares to others, many customers become more conscious of their water use and eliminate wasteful practices.
The city has already implemented the following actions to reduce the city’s water use:
• Reducing the city’s landscape irrigation use by 20 percent this season, escalating the city’s response to water leaks, eliminating the use of water in fire drills and training, washing fire engines only as necessary, evaluating all plumbing fixtures to ensure they are low flow and replacing fixtures as needed at all fire stations, modifying fire hydrant testing and maintenance to reduce water consumption, adjusting water system flushing schedules, reprogramming pool filtration equipment to eliminate unnecessary backwashing operation and increasing frequency of irrigation checks to reduce overspray and minimize waste.
