City Council to consider new water regulations

In response to the California State Water Resource Control Board’s newly expanded water regulations, the Tehachapi City Council heard the introduction of a new Water Shortage Contingency Plan for Tehachapi at their April 6 meeting. It is up to individual communities to find ways to meet the new goals. The state’s July 28, 2014 plan for a 20% reduction in water usage has fallen short of its goal and produced only enough water for 1.96 million homes, prompting the new mandatory program.

Ten years ago, Tehachapi set a goal to reach water usage of 215 gallons per capita per day by 2015. Public Works Director, Jon Curry, announced that thanks to programs like the toilet/shower head replacement program, reportleaks.com, and the HERO program, usage is currently 214 per capita per day. The goal of the new plan is to ultimately reduce usage to 185 gallons per day per capita.

Under the proposed plan, there would be three stages of water conservation. Compliance with Stage 1 is voluntary and is similar to the one that has been in existence for the last year. Stage 2 will be mandatory and include all steps from Stage 1, plus:

1. Irrigation of lawns, landscaping, foliage, gardens, flowerbeds and other outdoor areas shall be limited as follows: Street addresses ending in odd numbers may only water on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; addresses ending in even numbers may water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Irrigation of any type is prohibited on Sundays. The only exception shall be areas irrigated with non‐potable water. Any single irrigation station may not run longer than ten minutes.

2. Outdoor irrigation of turf and ornamental landscaping shall be prohibited between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily.

3. Any and all observable leaks of water on a resident’s premises shall be repaired within twenty four hours of notification to customer.

4. No hosing down of non‐landscaped or hardscape area.

5. Construction water shall be prohibited during a Stage 2 alert condition.

6. The washing of boats, vehicles or mobile equipment shall only be allowed in car washes or by using a bucket and hose with an automatic shut off nozzle for rinsing.

7. The use of water in ornamental fountains and water features shall only be permitted if the water is recirculated.

8. The City Manager will have the right to reduce the amount of water used in irrigating any park site, greenbelt or open areas within the city limits.

9. No outdoor irrigation shall be permitted during and forty‐eight hours after a measurable rainfall event.

10. Restaurants and other food service establishments shall serve water to customers only on request.

11. Operators of hotels and motels shall provide guests with the option of choosing not to have towels and linens laundered daily and prominently display notice of the option.

12. Other restrictions may be deemed necessary by the City Manager or City Council.

Should Stage 2 fail to meet customer demand, Stage 3 will be called. It will also be mandatory and include the following:

1. No irrigation of lawns. Plants, trees and bushes may be irrigated by use of a bucket.

2. The introduction of water into swimming pools, wading pools and spas is prohibited.

3. No washing of vehicles except at a car wash facility.

4. Parks may irrigate trees and shrubbery with buckets only or other methods to insure that not more than 20 gallons of water are used on a single tree or shrub during a period of one week. No irrigation of playing fields or open spaces.

When looking at the overall picture, the city of Tehachapi is “looking good,” stated Curry. “We are the exception and not the rule in this state.”

The City Council will hold a public hearing on the plan at their next meeting on April 20. Once the measure is approved, Stage 2 restrictions will take effect 30 days after its passage.