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Water Board urges city to issue water alert

October 03, 2007|GEORGE LEWIS

Better wash your car today, because by tomorrow the city may have imposed mandatory water restrictions.

On Tuesday, the Stanford Water Board decided to urge city council tonight to upgrade "water advisory" to "water alert," said Alan DeShon, manager of the Stanford Water Department.

This means water usage from which we were encouraged to abstain would be prohibited.

Voluntary water conservation appeared to be helping, DeShon said, with the city using 200,000 fewer gallons of water in September than in August. "But we don't want to let the water supply get too far down," he said.

Next week, the water board will open bids on the Buck Creek water line project, which will provide another raw water source for the city with the hopes of eliminating advisory and alert stages.

According to ordinance, the city may impose a ban on all non-essential (Class 3) water uses for the duration of the shortage until it is declared to have ended by resolution of the city council.

The following activities are listed as non-essential by ordinance:

â?¢ Serving water in restaurants, clubs, or eating places, except by customer request

â?¢ Failure to repair a controllable leak;

â?¢ Increasing water levels in scenic and recreational ponds and lakes, except for the minimum amount required to support fish and wildlife;

â?¢ Commercial car and truck washes

â?¢ Supplying water to fountains, reflecting pools and artificial waterfalls.

â?¢ Expanding nursery facilities

â?¢ Placing new irrigated agricultural land in production, or planting of landscaping except when required by a site design review process

â?¢ Use of water for dirt control or compaction

â?¢ Watering of lawns, parks, golf course fairways, playing fields and other recreational areas

â?¢ Washing sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts or other hard-surface areas

â?¢ Washing down buildings or structures for purposes other than immediate fire protection

â?¢ Flushing gutters or permitting water to run or accumulate in any gutter or street.

â?¢ Use of water for dirt control or compaction

â?¢ Watering of annual or non-woody plants, lawns, parks, golf course fairways, playing fields and other recreational areas

â?¢ Refilling cooling towers after draining.

The water board is going to recommend to the city council on Thursday to move from "advisory" to "alert" stage. This means that water usage from which we were encouraging people to abstain is now prohibited. The prohibited activities and penalties are outlined in the ordinance, which I can get to you. (But, if you want to wash your car, I'd suggest doing it before Thursday.)

Also, have you heard about the new Buck Creek raw water line project? It is in the bidding process now and will provide another raw water source for the city with the hopes of eliminating these advisory and alert stages in the future. I think it would be another good story...

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