Arcadians may only water their lawns on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays between the evening and overnight hours of 6 p.m. – 9 a.m. and not within 48-hours of a rainfall, effective May 1, 2015.
Penalties would range from $100 for the first offense to $200 for the second offense and $500 for the third. Property owners are also responsible for the offenses of their gardener who might be caught turning on sprinklers after 9 a.m., although there would not be a penalty if the gardener is using a hose to spot-sprinkle an area of the lawn, according to city officials.
And it could get even worse soon.
In response to Governor Brown’s State of Emergency declaration last week as a result of four years of drought in California, and in compliance with California’s State Water Resources Control Board new water conservation requirements, the Arcadia City Council unanimously approved an ordinance on Tuesday, April 7, that introduces mandated prohibited and restricted uses of water.
As part of the Governor’s initially mandated 25% reduction in water use, residents will also see far more brown grass in normally lush medians on Santa Anita Avenue, Huntington Drive, and elsewhere as the city cuts back dramatically on watering those areas as specifically mandated under the new rules.
It was one of several notable topics on the Council agenda last night, the others including a business license and zoning code amendment to come in line with new State legislation that will allow the city to revise business regulations to only require conditional use permits for personal service operations of potential concern such massage, tatoo, and tanning, as opposed to a barber shop or beauty salon.
Another that would modify and better define what kinds of Open House and For Sale signs realtors and developers are allowed to post — big construction signs must include a rendering of what the finished building will look like; the allowance of as many as four “Open House” signs on a property one afternoon from 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. (except on Realtor “Caravan Days”); and only one “For Sale” sign per property — was continued to allow further public hearing at the next Council meeting on May 5 regarding the Council’s preference to require yard sign heights to be reduced from six-feet to three-feet, which would allow realtors six months to come into compliance.
The Council also approved the $2 million purchase of 3,000 acre feet of imported replacement water from the Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster at a discounted price through the Upper San Gabriel Valley Water District, which is where the City gets a major portion of its water in addition to its own wells. The price of $673 is about $100 less per acre foot than usual for replacement water. The meeting got started a few minutes late following a lengthy closed session involving a lawsuit filed by residents in the Highlands Homeowners Association over the city’s approval of large homes to be built in place of smaller ones. Officials believe that even if everything goes smoothly and the lawsuit is expedited, it could take at least a year to resolve and cost the City at least $100,000 – $250,000.
Meanwhile, as if the 25% water usage reduction wasn’t enough, as the City Council meeting was happening Tuesday, word came out that the State would require selected cities such as Arcadia, La Canada and Beverly Hills to reduce water usage even more, by a whopping 35%. The City on Wednesday was seeking clarity on this latest mandate that theoretically targets cities that have a larger per capita water usage than most.
While City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto says Arcadia will do all it can to curb water usage and meet mandated reductions, he said it’s not reasonable to expect towns like Arcadia that has large lots with large homes and lots of grass to require no more water than cities in which homes sit closer to each other on smaller lots. “We’re never going to have the per capita water usage that a dense urban area has because we have large properties,” he told Arcadia’s Best Wednesday. One resident in the Highland Oaks with a “smart” water irrigation system that already cuts water usage in half at their home was told at the meeting that she will still be required to adhere to these restrictions. But Lazzaretto noted that the city plans to revise the water rate structure later this year that will do away with the current flat rate and institute a tiered pricing structure.
Here are the restrictions of the new water conservation ordinance:
No lawn, landscape, or other turf areas shall be watered or irrigated more than 3 days per week, or such other number of days as the City Council may prescribe by resolution from time to time. The three days per week shall be Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday or such other days as the City Council may prescribe by resolution from time to time.
No lawn, landscape, or other turf areas shall be watered or irrigated between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Pacific time.
No lawn, landscape, or other turf areas shall be watered or irrigated during and within 48 hours after measurable rainfall.
No hose washing of sidewalks, walkways, driveways, or parking areas.
No hose washing of a motor vehicle, except where the hose is fitted with a shut-off nozzle or similar device that causes the hose to cease dispensing water immediately when not in use.
No water shall be used to clean, fill or maintain levels in decorative fountains unless such water is part of a recirculating system.
No restaurant, hotel, cafe, cafeteria, bar or other public place where food or beverage is served or offered for sale, shall serve drinking water to any customer unless expressly requested by the customer.
No hotel or motel shall launder towels and linens of an occupied guestroom on a daily basis, unless expressly requested by the guest. The hotel or motel shall prominently display a notice in each guestroom of the guest’s option not to have towels and linens laundered daily.
No customer of the Water Division shall permit water to leak from any facility on his premises.
The ordinance allows for exceptions approved by the City’s Public Works Services Director for an owner of property used primarily for commercial, industrial or institutional purposes that reduced overall bi-monthly water use for the property by at least twenty-five percent (25%) from the same bi-monthly period in 2013.
No lawn, landscape or other turf areas shall be watered in a wasteful manner. For example, in a manner that causes runoff such that water flows onto adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, private and public walkways, roadways, parking lots, or stuctures.”
— By Scott Hettrick