The severe drought in California prompted the State to set down water conservation rules and to require county and city jurisdictions to adopt their own plans.
Mammoth Community Water District continues to ask customers to conform to Revised Level 1 Water Restrictions. These rules say even numbered addresses should irrigate on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Odd numbered addresses irrigate on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Irrigation is prohibited between 10 am and 7pm. No variances for new lawns.
Over filling of swimming pools and spas is prohibited. Washing of hard surfaces is prohibited. Leaks must be repaired and water may not pool up on hard surfaces. All of the details are available on the Water District website – www.mcwd.dst.ca.us. Earlier this year, the Water Board did adopt an ordinance which would allow additional prohibitions if needed.
Inyo Public Works Director Clint Quilter recently held public meetings in Independence and Lone Pine to explain conservation rules. He said he came up with an allowable alternative plan that is “responsible yet acknowledges the investment in landscaping.”
The rules say no watering between 9am and 5pm, the necessity to repair any leaks in a reasonable time, no use of potable water for construction unless there is no alternative, no flushing of fire hydrants except for health and safety reasons. Quilter said there would be significant penalties to Inyo if the County did nothing.
He said, “We’re trying to meet regulations while taking into account the unique situation of the Owens Valley.” He said he does not anticipate law enforcement will police water use.
Quilter mentioned four other mandatory regulations for water systems – not washing down driveways, irrigating but no flooding, using a hose shut-off for washing a car or watering.
The City of Bishop adopted eight rules to reduce water use by 20%. They are posted on the City website and include:
No outdoor irrigation except between 5pm and 9am; no irrigation of outdoor landscaping so that water runs off the property; no washing vehicles unless the hose is fitted with a shut-off nozzle; no washing driveways, sidewalks and parking areas; no decorative water features unless there is recirculation; no water waste caused by easily correctable leaks, breaks, or malfunctions; no use of potable water for construction purpose; no hydrant flushing except when required for public health and safety.
The Bishop press release says the City may allow exceptions to some of these measures in some cases. Check it out at www.ca-bishop.us.
Throughout the 1990’s and up until recently, in my conversations with “some” Bishop locals, I’ve heard many tell me that they used as much water as possible, to spite the Department of Water & Power, and southern California citizens.
How many of us are actually proud of our lawns reflecting the severe drought, oh wait? I can see with my own eyes how 80% of homeowners and renters have a business as usual approach, in a time when the most precious resource is becoming scarce in a place that… Read more »
A drop of water saved in the East Side is a drop of water that fills the siphon to L.A. Keep L.A. green!!!
…and sometimes we need true leaders to lead the way…
At least I can count on you to stay home and keep score, while I’m out on the front lines…
Ken Warner,
The fact that the people of Owens are the victim of waste and exploitation does not exempt them from consequences or the responsibility for change.
Mongo the Idiot
I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.
Booker T. Washington
http://www.postperiodical.com/scientists-warn-decades-long-megadrought/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=scientists-warn-decades-long-megadrought&google_editors_picks=true
KW Try, just try, to keep things civil . Alluding/Guessing to another’s limitations is an asocial activity, not a joke and besides what does DWP do that limits any of our own personal responses to this 3rd year drought . As far as the Owens Valley is concerned there is… Read more »
Mongo: The whole East Side has been practicing strict water conservation for the last hundred years using the principle of, “There it is, take it.” We’ve saved the Earth so good that Los Angeles has grown from one hundred thousand people to around nine million people in that same hundred… Read more »
“the publicity value in making Inyo the most residentially water efficient county in America.” You are a troll for LADWP aren’t you? To lay the blame on the East Side is so off the mark I have trouble finding words to characterize your assertion. Let Los Angeles lead the way… Read more »
Ken, Thank you for the opportunity to directly respond to your concerns. I said… “the publicity value in making Inyo the most residentially water efficient county in America.” * I make this suggestion because to me it is the high road and the most effective road to take. I believe… Read more »
Swimming pools are just fun to attack because we want to slap down the privileged people who “worked” extra hard to get them. Whatever you do, don’t look at using fresh water to flush toilets. You see when we do this the poop gets rinsed off for the ride to… Read more »
Mongo, you make more sense than 99% of the rest of the commentariat, including myself. We need more idiots.
In plain English… It would be inexpensive and easy to install individual residential waste water capture systems that would supply lightly used greywater to flush toilets. It’s 9 AM and I’ve already flushed my toilet twice. A low flow toilet uses 1.6 galons per flush. I have single handedly wasted… Read more »
What have you got to loose by being open to ideas and discussion on the subject? What have you got to loose by contributing ideas or rebuttals to the discussion? Don’t leave us to our assumptions, please chime in… Conservation is the topic of this thread. Do you feel it… Read more »
May I chime in please? I mean, don’t mind if I do.. And that is just flushing our toilets, but I don’t understand if someone is against your comment enough to give you a thumbs down, they should explain themselves.. this is a serious issue, and the more we stay… Read more »
Gotta say it…The day I get on “Google Earth” and look into the Los Angeles area…when I see those thousands of big swimming pools in people’s yards …and if they are dry….THAT is when I’ll cut back on water,let my truck get dirty and allow my lawn dry up and… Read more »
Gotta say too… Been watching the water . Been watching and calling out the DWP. Don’t want my well to go dry in this Bishop Cone . Don’t want any locale in the Owens Valley, not any portion of it, to be the next mitigated DWP project. I watch idiots,… Read more »
Aww man, well Wayne at least you know I am taking it upon myself to not water my lawn (front yard and backyard), in effort to save.. I could care less about some social norm about keeping a nice green lawn, I think seeing someone that is willing to sacrifice… Read more »
DWP is soylent brown for Owens, soylent green for LA. I don’t know what they do to the water, the stuff that comes out of my faucet in Indy tastes good, the stuff in LA, not good at all; however, my mommy’s 20,000 sq ft lawn in LA likes it!… Read more »
Out here in the middle of nowhere, street addresses are wonky.
Drought or no drought, who would wash a car WITHOUT a shut off nozzle ? Ever since I saw the movie “Soylent Green” as a kid, I try not to be wasteful . What the DWP SHOULD do…is build a HUGE de-salinization plant on the Santa Monica coast, and reverse… Read more »
R. O. B.
More chance of a pipe to pump SoCal sewage into Owens Lake.
Do people understand that DWP is in charge of policing themselves? I thought I saw a pussy cat, I did! I did!
and after an lengthy internal investigation they’ve come to the conclusion policing themselves works very much in their favor