By Kathy Lee Scott

Garden Grove Journal

Garden Grove joined other local and regional water districts when it voted 5-0 to institute stricter water use policies at Tuesday’s city council meeting.

Because of various restrictions on water sources, “we’ve lost between 900 and 1,000 acre feet of water per year,” said David Entsminger, water services manager. Normally, the city pumps between 29,000 to 30,000 acre feet each year from the water basin beneath Orange County. It buys almost 15,000 acre feet from Metropolitan Water District.

“We’re facing potential water rationing,” said Keith Jones, public works director.

The new four-stage water policy includes eight mandatory measures all water customers must follow (see sidebar).

The council set the status at the lowest stage (water watch), which includes voluntary conservation. Residents and businesses cannot water lawns between 10 a.m. and  6 p.m. unless using a hand-held, shut-off nozzle and hose or a drip irrigation system. They can wash vehicles once every other day unless they use a commercial, water-recycling commercial car wash.

Other restrictions include filling swimming pools every other day, shutting off ornamental fountains and not serving water glasses automatically to restaurant customers.

Under the next higher level (water alert), residents and business must conserve water however they can. They must follow the first-level rules above with added restrictions. They could only water lawns on designated irrigation days: even-numbered properties on even-numbered days; odd-numbered properties on odd-numbered days.

Excepted from the above restriction would be agricultural users and commercial nurseries.

People could only wash their vehicles using buckets and nozzled shut-off hoses or at a commercial, water-recycling wash on their designated irrigation days between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

“I can’t afford $15 for a car wash,” said Garden Grove resident David Lautherboren. “I wash my car on my lawn. How can that be a violation?”

Jones said that would be all right.

Filling bodies of water would take place between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., and watering parks, schools, and recreational fields would be restricted to 6 p.m. to 10 a.m.

Golf course operators can water the greens any time.

Water customers would need to turn off all decorative fountains under this level of water conservation.

At stage three (water warning), people could water their lawns during the same times, but those at even-numbered address could only turn the water on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Those at odd-numbered addresses can water on Wednesdays and Sundays.

“You can’t have it both ways,” said Garden Grove resident Bob Owens. “It’s either green or yellow lawns.”

Water customers could not wash their vehicles, unless they use them to carry food and perishables or pick up trash, or they take them to a commercial car wash.

Councilmember Dina Nguyen questioned the prohibition on washing driveways. “I have bird droppings on my driveway,” she said. “Birds bring bacteria to my children through them.” She said she sprays off her driveway to rid it of the droppings.

City Attorney Tom Nixon noted, “The rules allow washing when necessary to eliminate a sanitary hazard.”

Filling pools and other bodies of water could occur between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. on designated irrigation days. Also, residents would have to turn off their water softeners.

Car washes without 100-percent water recycling must reduce their water volume by 20 percent.

Under this level, construction projects will see more limits on their use of water.

Again, golf course operators can water the greens any day.

The most severe level (water emergency) mandates everyone to stop watering all outdoor vegetation, even agricultural producers and commercial nurserymen, unless they’re watering livestock.