Pasadena residents are limited to just one outdoor watering day a week after the city’s first-ever winter water restrictions took effect Sunday.
In the summer, sprinklers were allowed to run Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Now residents must choose just one of those days each week to water their lawns, although the restriction does not apply to watering by hand or drip irrigation systems.
After Pasadena experienced record-low rainfall two years ago, the city implemented a water conservation plan that required the regulation of sprinkler systems, prohibited residents from hosing down pavement and required the immediate repair of leaky plumbing fixtures.
“As far as switching to the winter schedule, we have to be really aggressive about getting the word out since people only just adjusted to the three-day-a-week schedule -- but they’ll get the message,” said Erica Rolufs, spokeswoman for Pasadena Water and Power. “The city overall is using less water in this fiscal year to date than it has since 1994, so people are responding really well.”
Postcards and newsletters will be sent out to all Pasadena residents and businesses, as well as those in Altadena who are Pasadena Water and Power customers. The department employs 19 people who report violations, which can incur a fine of up to $1,000. The winter water restriction will continue until March 31.