Preemptive Strike

(Originally posted on waterefficiency.net)

By Elizabeth Cutright
Editor
Water Efficiency


Although July is Smart Irrigation Month, southern California is jumping the gun with a series of strict restriction on outdoor water usage. In Los Angeles, June 1 marks the beginning of mandatory conservation restrictions designed to reduce city water use by 15%. For those who love their green lawns, these restrictions mean that their sprinklers can only run Mondays and Thursdays, with enforcement to be handled by the city’s “drought police.”
But California is not the only state that’s taking a preemptive stance on water conservation and irrigation. June 1 also marks the start of new water restrictions in Durham, NC. Under the new policy, homeowners will be allowed to water their lawns three days a week based on their address. In addition, irrigation can only take place before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m., and no one will be allowed to water on Mondays. City officials seem determined to encourage all manner of smart irrigation, and the new regulations require rain sensors or soil moisture sensors for all newly installed automated irrigation systems, while existing systems must install sensors by November 30, 2009. Durham’s irrigation schedule applies only to the new outdoor spray irrigation systems, and so, hand-watering and drip irrigation systems will not be restricted.
Meanwhile in San Antonio, city officials anticipate the implementation of even stricter irrigation regulations. Agricultural and residential irrigation could soon see “Stage Two” restrictions, which include once a week lawn-watering. Later this summer, San Antonio residents could even be subjected to “Stage Three” regulations—which go into effect whenever the local aquifer falls below 640 feet—and that means sprinkler irrigation once every two weeks, and drip irrigation limited to either 3–8 a.m. or 8–10 p.m. Should “Stage Four” regulations go into effect, surcharges will also be imposed on users who exceed 12,717 gallons per month.
So what do you think? Are these kinds of irrigation restrictions an important part of water resource management? And, more importantly, should these restrictions be limited to times of extreme drought, or would it make more sense to always require smart and studied outdoor water use?