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Council Passes Sprinkling Limits

Posted on: Friday, 7 April 2006, 03:00 CDT

By Darryl Enriquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Apr. 7--Waukesha -- Lawn and garden sprinkling restrictions received Common Council approval Thursday in time to conserve water during the spring growing season.

Contained in the same ordinance are emergency measures under which the Waukesha Water Utility manager can ban outdoor water use for pools, car washing, lawn sprinkling and pavement washing. The emergency measures had existed as policy but now become enforceable.

It's the restrictions portion of the measure that is new to the city, which is striving to decrease the periods of high-demand water use that usually occur during dry summer months.

"The purpose . . . is to prevent overuse of the city's water resources, to avoid substantial depletion of the water table and to ensure sufficient water supply is available at all times, including peak usage periods," the ordinance says of the conservation measure.

The city is trying to reduce water consumption as its deep municipal wells become less productive. City officials also want to tap into Lake Michigan water, or open new well fields in western Waukesha County, to replace water from the deep wells that is contaminated naturally occurring radium, a health hazard.

The ordinance will be in effect from May 1 to Oct. 1 and restricts sprinkling to early mornings and evenings on specified days of the week.

Properties with odd-numbered addresses are allowed to sprinkle lawns and gardens only on Tuesdays and Saturdays before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. Even-numbered addresses may water on Thursdays and Sundays before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m.

The penalty for the first violation is be $50; the second violation will cost $100; and $500 will be charged for a third offense. Each subsequent violation will cost $1,000. Repeat violators could face service disconnection.

Violation tickets will be issued only after property owners receive three warnings per season.

An exemption will allow the use of hand-held watering devices, such as garden hoses and watering cans, any time of the day. Hoses with flowing water must be attended.

The restrictions do not apply to outdoor sports complexes, such as baseball diamonds, or to cemeteries. Another exemption will be "variance permits" that could be obtained from the Water Utility to sprinkle newly planted grass or irrigate new landscaping beyond what the restrictions allow.

A variance will last one month, and new landscaping is defined as being that installed for new housing and commercial developments, a government project or the reworking of more than one-quarter of an existing yard or 3,000 square feet of an existing yard.

The utility wants to cut its peak water use in the summer 30%, Quirk said. The average daily consumption of municipal water in the city is 7 million gallons, but it peaks at 12 million gallons. It's the 5 million-gallon spike that the utility wants to decrease 30%, Quirk said.

The new ordinance defines emergency measures in which the Water Utility manager can ban all outdoor sprinkling and irrigation, and the washing of sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, tennis courts, patios and other paved areas the use of a pressurized hose.

An emergency occurs when any of three conditions is met: water pressure drops below 20 pounds per square inch in any portion of the water system; water storage levels cannot provide adequate fire protection; or water treatment capabilities cannot meet demand, the ordinance says.

An emergency situation also would ban vehicle and trailer washing, except at facilities equipped with water recirculation systems, and water-based play apparatus connected to a pressurized water source. Filling swimming pools, fountains and spas also would be banned unless required for health reasons.

Also Thursday, the council approved, 10-4, a measure that opposes the Taxpayer Protection Amendment, a measure in the state Legislature that would try to control property taxes limiting municipal revenue.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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Source: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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