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Stafford looks at mandatory water restrictions; Rocky Pen Reservoir delays are a factor Date published: 5/2/2007 By MEGHANN COTTER
By MEGHANN COTTER
Stafford County may permanently limit which days residents can water their lawns each summer. A proposal considered by the Supervisors yesterday would allow even-numbered addresses to water their lawns on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Odd addresses could do so on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Supervisors will hear public comments on the ordinance at their June 5 meeting. The program calls for water-use restrictions from May 1 to Oct. 31 each year. It could take effect as early as July 1 this year. Mondays would be a system recovery day, with no watering allowed. Watering also would be prohibited between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., the hottest, least effective hours to give lawns a drink. The rules would not apply to commercial customers or residents using automatic shutoff nozzles. "We don't want anyone to stop watering their landscaping or lose their lawn. They just need to water wisely," said Utilities Director Bob Bos. Violators would first receive a warning. They'd be fined $25 for the second offense in a calendar year and $50 for any others. Nancy Collins, utilities financial manager, said the limitations aim to increase water conservation awareness. Some residents have been known to let their sprinklers water the streets or run during the rain, she said. That creates an unnecessary impact on the county's water supply. And population growth increases usage about a half million gallons a day annually. The average used in 2006 was 9.9 million gallons a day, but it peaked as high as 15.6 million gallons. Assuming everything works perfectly, county treatment plants can process about 20 million gallons a day. Part of that must remain available to handle a major fire or disaster, as well. "The Board has adopted sustainability as part of its vision," Bos said. "Part of this is to get water conservation in front of [the public] and remind them how important it is." Stafford, along with many other regional localities, asks for voluntary water conservation each summer. The county last imposed mandatory water restrictions in 2002, as part of a statewide effort to handle that year's drought, Bos said. Other communities have used odd-even standards successfully for a number of years, Collins said. James City County in Virginia and Cary, N.C., are among them. She anticipates the restrictions may impact department revenues, but no more so than an unusually wet summer when watering lawns isn't as necessary. People may actually water their grass longer and less often under the proposed system, she said. And that's OK. "A good soaking is actually what they should be doing," she said. Meghann Cotter: 540/374-5434Email: mcotter@freelancestar.com
Read more stories about Stafford Date published: 5/2/2007
This should apply across the board. Big developments might think twice about ripping up existing trees if they couldn't easily water the newer ones.
This really beats it. Stafford Board of Supervisors tax ever residential property owner and fail to use a BPOL tax. With this scenario, residents are the primary ones affected while again businesses are exempt! Where is the fairness in this application? It should affect EVERYONE and make ENFORCEMENT easier. Can't wat for November elections!!!
Great! Stafford and the other surrounding counties are building continuously, but yet the supervisors want to control the homeowners water supply. Conserve the water, stop the construction.
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