Santa Cruz Water Restriction Information
- By: Amer ZaghloulehUncategorizedComment: 0
With 71% of Earth’s surface covered by water, many people are wondering why is water conservation important?
Here are some interesting facts. The planet may be covered by oceans, but 97% of water is undrinkable. In fact, just 3% of Earth’s water is fresh, and as little as 0.5% is available for drinking.
Even here in Santa Cruz County supplies are limited, so it’s paramount that everyone uses water efficiently. That’s why there are a lot of restrictions in place to prevent people from wasting water. Here’s a look at some of the most important ones.
Water Efficient Landscaping
Santa Cruz residents are required by law to conserve water when watering their lawns, crops, trees, as well when practicing agricultural irrigation. The watering should be done in a manner that allows water to run off from the area being watered.
Leaks Should Be Dealt with in a Reasonable Time
The County of Santa Cruz considers 24 hours after discovering the problem to be enough to fix a leak, breakage, or any other issue in a plumbing system.
The Washing of Pavements, Buildings, and Cars.
Residents are required not to wash hard or paved surfaces, such as walkways, sidewalks, alleys, patios, tennis courts, parking ways, and driveways. There’s an expectation to this rule and the washing of pavements is allowed when you need to remove a sanitary or safety hazard. In this case, you must use either a bucket, a pressure washer, or a hose equipped with a positive shut-off nozzle.
The same goes for the washing of cars, building exteriors, boats, and recreational vehicles. In this case, residents should use a pressure washer or hose equipped with a positive shut-off nozzle.
Irrigation Restrictions
The irrigation of landscape, turf, and so on is allowed between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Exceptions are the cases where the watering is done through drip irrigation or by hand with a quick-acting positive shut-off nozzle.
Ornamental landscapes can be watered two times a week. The system can’t be turned on for more than 15 minutes per session. If the contractors need to adjust or fix the irrigation system, then they can turn the water on for short periods.
Types of Water Waste
Chapter 16.02 of the Santa Cruz Municipal Code prohibits water waste such as:
- The washing of pavements its vehicles without a self-closing hose nozzle;
- Excessive watering of a property or spraying on the sidewalk or other paved areas;
- Plumbing and faucet leaks that haven’t been repaired or there were no arrangements made to fix the problem within 24 hours after finding it;
- Unauthorized water use from. a hydrant ;
- The use of a water fountain that doesn’t use recirculated water.
Over to You
Water conservation requires effort on part of all Santa Cruz residents, but every little step helps. You may think that a minor leak cannot create too much damage, but it can add up. Moreover, it can also create significant damage to your home.
If you notice a leak, get in touch with Anytime Plumbing and we will send a team of experts to your house to investigate.
