New water restrictions for Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers, including limiting watering lawns to two-days per week, were announced Tuesday morning.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti helped make the announcement alongside LADWP officials during a morning news conference.
“We are moving one phase forward and reducing the number of days that you can water your lawn from three days to two each week,” Garcetti said. “That’s actually less strict than what other neighboring water districts are moving toward, where they are going to just one day a week.”
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which provides water to about 40% of the state’s population, declared a water shortage emergency last month and called for millions of people to reduce watering their yards to just one day a week.
Garcetti says Angelenos don’t need to cut as severely because of past water conservation efforts.
“Angelenos have done more … so, we don’t have to see a risk of plants dying or going to one day a week because of all the things that we are doing collectively,” Garcetti said.
In fact, according to Garcetti, Angelenos are using slightly less water today than they were over 30 years ago.
Street addresses in odd numbers will be limited to watering on Mondays and Fridays, while those ending in even numbers can water on Thursdays and Sundays.
Watering times will be capped at just eight minutes, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Those who don’t comply with the new rules will initially receive a warning but could see escalating fines for continuing violations, Martin Adams, the LADWP’s general manager and chief engineer, told the Times.
The plan was designed to achieve at least a 35% reduction in water consumption, hopefully shrinking usage to about 80 gallons per person per day.
Garcetti encouraged residents to wash vehicles at commercial car washes to conserve water at their residences and to use pool covers to decrease evaporation.
The mayor also urged Angelenos to install drought resistant gardens and lawns in order to take advantage of water conservation rebates.
The LADWP is one of six local agencies in the drought-stricken state scrambling to come up with new restrictions, which are set to be implemented June 1.
Other local agencies include the Calleguas Municipal Water District, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, Three Valleys Municipal Water District and Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District.
The Las Virgenes MWD, which serves about 75,000 people, has already informed customers that they will need to limit water usage to 80 gallons per day.
Customers who do not comply will initially be warned but can eventually have restrictors installed on their homes that will reduce water flow to just a trickle.
For information on water saving tips and rebates on products to help you reduce your water usage, visit socalwatersmart.com.