SAN JOSE, Calif. — To comply with the State Water Resource Control Board mandate for water conservation throughout California, the San Jose City Council triggered a 30 percent emergency water declaration, according to a press release.
San Jose’s action also calls for additional water conservation to help address the effects of the past four years of severe drought, stated the release.
The new rules take immediate effect through March 31, 2016, and only apply to potable water — not graywater or recycled water, continued the release.
The release reported new restrictions for outdoor watering include: Residents and businesses can water outdoors on only two designated days and only before 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m.; residents and businesses can water outdoors without these restrictions if using a handheld hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle or a drip irrigation system; public parks, playing fields, golf courses (greens only), schools and day care centers are allowed to water outdoors for maintenance if done in an efficient manner and before the allotted time frames and nurseries are allowed to water plants and trees for sale.
The emergency declaration also prohibits residents from washing their cars with potable water at home, instead permitting residents to wash cars with graywayer or at a commercial carwashing facility using a recirculation system, added the release.
“We’re in a serious drought, which pushes us to rethink how we use water,” said Kerrie Romanow, director of the San José Environmental Services Department. “We’re in this together; we must all do our part to save water by taking additional steps to conserve and meet increased water conservation targets.”
Around 70 percent of San Jose’s total water use is attributed to residential use, with approximately 35 percent of the total water use for the city attributed to residential outdoor watering, noted the release.
Read the entire release here.
