Drought: San Jose Water Company limits watering to two days a week amid short supplies.
San Jose Water Company limits watering to two days a week amid drought, short supplies
On June 23, the San Jose Water Company announced new water restrictions aimed at conserving water during the drought.
The company, based in San Jose, serves 1 million people who live in San Jose, Campbell, Los Gatos, Saratoga, parts of Cupertino and Redwood Estates. It said the new rules, the first of their kind since California’s last drought ended in 2017, take effect immediately and apply to all residential and business customers in its service area.
San Jose Water is the largest retail water provider in Santa Clara County. It took the action after the county’s water wholesaler, the Santa Clara Valley Water District, declared a drought emergency two weeks ago and asked cities and water companies in the county to impose rules with the goal of cutting water use 33% from 2013 levels. The reason: California just finished the two driest winters in a row since 1976-77, and reservoir levels are low.
Here’s a complete list of San Jose Water Company’s new rules:
• Limits on watering days: Watering or irrigating of lawns, landscape or other vegetated areas (including vegetable gardens and golf courses) with potable water is limited to two days per week. Irrigation will be allowed Mondays and Thursdays for oddnumbered and numberless addresses and will be allowed Tuesdays and Fridays for even-numbered addresses.
• Limits on watering: Watering or irrigating of outside plants, lawn, landscape and turf areas with potable water using a landscape irrigation system or a watering device that is not continuously attended is limited to no more than 15 minutes of watering a day per station, with no watering from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. This provision does not apply to landscape irrigation zones that exclusively use drip-type irrigation systems. This provision also does not apply to low-precipitation sprinkler systems that apply water at or less than 1 inch per hour. This provision also does not apply to watering or irrigating by use of a handheld bucket or similar container, a hand-held hose equipped with a positive action shut-off nozzle or device that causes it to cease dispensing water immediately when not in use, or for the express purpose of adjusting or repairing an irrigation system. However, no irrigation can occur regardless of method that results in runoff.
• Also prohibited is the use of potable water for watering outside plants, lawn, landscape and turf areas during and up to 48 hours after measurable rainfall, and the use of potable water in a fountain or other decorative water device that does not have a fully automatic recirculation system, or the filling or topping off of decorative lakes or ponds, except where the water is part of a recirculating system.
• Decorative fountains or ornamental lakes or ponds: The use of potable water for filling or re-filling decorative fountains, ornamental lakes or ponds more than 1 foot is prohibited, except when fountains or ponds/lakes are drained for repairs, and except to the extent needed to sustain aquatic life in ponds/lakes, provided that such animals are of significant value and have been actively managed within the water feature prior to declaration of a supply shortage level under this rule.
• Limits on washing vehicles: Washing of vehicles is prohibited, except at a commercial car-washing facility that uses recycled water or recirculating water system to capture or reuse water.
• Water wasting: The use of potable water for washing buildings, structures, sidewalks, walkways, driveways, patios, tennis courts or other hard-surfaced, non-porous areas is prohibited, except to protect the health and safety of the public.
• The use of potable water for construction purposes — including washing streets, backfill and dust control — also is prohibited, if other actions to accomplish the same purposes without water are feasible and/or permitted or if the recycled water is reasonably available as determined by a government agency.
• Leaks, breaks or malfunctions: The use of water through any broken or defective plumbing fixture, sprinkler, watering or irrigation system on the customer’s premises is prohibited when the utility has notified the customer in writing to repair the broken or defective plumbing fixture, sprinkler, watering or irrigation system, and the customer has failed to make such repairs within 72 hours after receipt of such notice.
• Restaurants and hotels: The serving of water, other than upon request, in eating and drinking establishments — including but not limited to restaurants, hotels, cafes, bars or other public places where food or drink is served and/or bought — is prohibited.
• Operators of hotels and motels are to provide guests with the option of choosing not to have towels and linens laundered daily and/or to require hotels and motels to prominently display a notice of this option in each guest bathroom using clear and easily understood language.
San Jose Water Company officials said it has no plans to hire “water cops” to ticket residents ignoring the rules. Instead, people who see violations can call the company’s customer service number at 408-279-7900 or email customer.service@sjwater.com.
They also can call the waterwise hotline set up by the Santa Clara Valley Water District at 408-630-2000 or email WaterWise@valleywater.org.
The company and the district then will notify the property owner, either by letter, door hanger or phone call.