This is just one post in the Conservation Category

Escondido: Drought prompts city crackdown on water usage; New ordinance restricts sprinkler usage, backyard fountains

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 16, 2008 at 6:15 am

From the North County Times:

City residents might soon be forced to cover their swimming pools every night, water their lawns only two days a week and turn off their backyard fountains.

A statewide drought has prompted the Escondido City Council to replace its water conservation ordinance with a much stricter version that includes stern usage regulations if drought conditions don’t improve. Escondido is one of the first cities in the county to adopt such an ordinance, but other cities are expected to follow suit quickly. The San Diego County Water Authority has provided each city with a “model” ordinance to use as a blueprint.

When the council adopted its ordinance last month, it also launched an aggressive public relations campaign aimed at encouraging city residents to conserve enough water to stave off the tighter restrictions. But officials said last week that it is highly probable the city will still have to trigger many of the new restrictions early next year by declaring a “Level 2″ water shortage.

“It’s not time for people to tear all their grass out and replace it with rock, but people need to start doing the little things that really make a difference,” Councilman Sam Abed said last week. “This is a serious situation.”