LOS ANGELES >> Glendale city water customers must now restrict their outdoor watering to twice a week and sprinkler use to 10 minutes per station, as city officials scramble to meet water reduction mandates amid a statewide drought.
Residential and commercial water users in Glendale are limited to hydrating their lawns and other outdoor landscaping to Tuesdays and Saturdays, with sprinklers allowed to stay on a maximum of 10 minutes per watering station, Glendale Water & Power officials announced.
There is no time limit for watering by hand, but the two-days-per-week rule still applies, city water officials said.
The rules went into effect last Tuesday after the Glendale City Council voted to enter Phase III of the city-owned utility’s Water Conservation Ordinance. Glendale had been operating since last summer under Phase II, which called for a three-day-per-week watering schedule that city officials say contributed to a 12 percent reduction in water use in Glendale.
The city has recently come under pressure to cut water use even further, with Gov. Jerry Brown issuing a statewide water reduction mandate and the Metropolitan Water District, which provides 70 percent of Glendale’s water, saying it will limit its wholesale water use by 15 percent.
Glendale is among cities that could face costly penalties and fees if they exceed water allocations from the MWD or fail to meet a 20 percent water reduction goal set by the state.
“Though we greatly appreciate all the conservation efforts our customers made in 2014, we want to stress that more conservation is needed in order to meet our 20 percent goal,” GWP General Manager Steve Zurn said. “We want our residents to really focus on water reductions outside the home and continue to be diligent in their water use inside their homes.”
Reports of water waste can be made to GWP’s hotline at 818-550-4426, or file a complaint online at http://www.GlendaleWaterAndPower.com.
Water conservation tips are available at http://saveourh2o.org/, http://www.GlendaleWaterAndPower.com and www.Bewaterwise.com.
