Turn the Waterworks Off, Water Conservation is On

Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past several years, you know that California is dry — bone dry. Recently, the San Diego County Water Authority voted to make water restriction practices for the San Diego area mandatory.

According to the water authority, these measures will help San Diego County keep as much water as possible in storage for next year. So far, this has not triggered mandatory supply cutbacks by member agencies, but those reductions can start to happen if drought conditions don’t improve by next year.

If you live in San Diego and are not sure what the mandatory restrictions for the city are, here is an abbreviated list from the City of San Diego Public Utilities Department:

• Watering is limited to certain days and times. From June to October watering is only allowed before 10:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m.
• Repair water leaks within 72 hours
• Turn off fountains and water features unless they use recycled water
• Eliminate irrigation runoff
• Use recycled or non-potable water for construction when available
• Do not wash sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, with a running hose etc.
• Restaurants will only serve water to patrons who request it
• Only wash vehicles at commercial car washes or by using a hose with an automatic shutoff nozzle or with a hand-held container.

For a full list of current mandatory water restrictions, plus a list of suggested voluntary restrictions, you can go to sandiego.gov. Also, if you see water waste, you are encouraged to call the Water Waste Hotline at (619) 533-5271.

The chairman of the County Water Authority said the drought and the water shortages it has brought to the area needs to be taken seriously.

The Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers in San Diego encourages you to take a good look at your water usage and to evaluate where you can cut back. The drought is serious, but if we all work together for the common good, we can get through this.