Watch out for the lawn police: they’ve got tickets, and they’re
not afraid to issue them.
Morgan Hill
Watch out for the lawn police: they’ve got tickets, and they’re not afraid to issue them.
For up to four hours a week each, four city staffers will cruise the streets of Morgan Hill, looking for runoff and other instances of wasted water. Offenders will be given a written notice; a second violation within a year of the first could cost the offender up to $100; a third within a year of the first could garner a $200 fine and subsequent violations could be met with a fine of up to $500.
On Wednesday night, the Morgan Hill City Council took the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s call for 15 percent mandatory conservation for the rest of 2009 to heart by authorizing active enforcement of the city’s water waste ordinance in a 4-0 vote. Councilman Greg Sellers was absent.
Program coordinator Anthony Eulo said there were two options for reaching the 15 percent in savings: focus on water wasters or raise water rates. Eulo said he believed the vast majority of residents will prefer the focus on water waste.
Water waste includes excessive water run-off, not fixing repairs after a 10-day grace period, and using hoses without shut-off valves. Also, restaurants may serve water only upon request.
Before Wednesday night, fines were issued on a complaint-only basis, according to Eulo. But there’s still plenty of room for complaints. The city will roll out a marketing campaign encouraging residents to report incidents of water waste via a hotline: 778-6480 ext. 481. Residents can call this non-emergency line any time of the day or night. For instances of emergency water problems, residents can call 911.
The council also beefed up the water waste ordinance, adding restrictions to when and how much water can be used for a variety of residential and business purposes. Watering between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. is prohibited, unless it’s done with a bucket or hand-held hose with a shut-off nozzle. Watering more than 15 minutes per day is prohibited.
Hotels and motels must provide guests an option to not have their towels and linens washed daily. New car washes and new laundry services may only install re-circulating water systems. All commercial car washes must install re-circulating water systems within a year.
But that’s not all: Eulo presented the council with three different tiers to achieve even more conservation, as needed due to drought or other water supply issues, at the discretion of the council. Staff will request the council adopt the first level May 20, which would mean limiting lawn watering to certain days of the week and requiring leaky faucets and other plumbing problems be repaired within three days of receiving a warning from the city. Also, washing walkways and driveways would be prohibited except under certain low-water-use conditions. These additional measures would aim to achieve 11 to 20 percent water savings. A second level, aimed at achieving 21 to 35 percent savings, would further restrict water use with measures like limiting lawn watering to one day a week.
The third level, aimed at achieving more than 35 percent water savings in the city, would restrict water irrigation altogether. This third tier of water supply shortage would be necessary to maintain sufficient water supplies for public health and safety, according to the staff report.
Eulo wasn’t sure how many tickets would be issued through the end of 2009, but was confident that the team of three public works inspectors and code enforcement officer John Amos would easily identify 100 instances of water waste. Eulo stressed that the city’s goal isn’t to issue more tickets and collect fines, but to stop water waste.
In August, the city updated the water waste ordinance for the first time since its adoption in 1948, adding specific water-wasting activities like using water after 10 days of receiving written notice that plumbing repairs are needed, excessive water runoff, serving water in a restaurant unless it’s requested and using a hose without a shutoff valve.
Eulo said he could not recall a single instance of a resident or business receiving a fine for wasting water. Eulo noted that a previous effort 10 years ago to conserve water was achieved through voluntary measures and said he hoped the city could do that again. In other words, hopefully there won’t be repeat offenders.
Morgan Hill is the only city other than San Jose in Santa Clara County heeding the water district’s call to conserve. Eulo said some cities aren’t also water retailers and thus don’t generally get involved with water issues.
The council expressed concern that, if water conservation were somehow mandated later, the city will be required to save another 15 percent on top of the 15 percent savings they hope will be generated through this water waste crackdown. Council members directed staff to look into how the city might be given credit for these voluntary efforts in the case of future, mandatory measures.
