LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) customers can only water their yards twice a week, after the utility implemented stricter water conservation rules on June 1 to combat the state’s drought.
“We want our customers to dig deeper and save water wherever possible, to help get us through the summer without having to further restrict outdoor watering,” said Martin Adams, LADWP general manager and chief engineer.
The new restriction limits customers with street addresses ending in odd numbers to water on Mondays and Fridays, and customers with even-numbered street addresses to water on Thursdays and Sundays. All watering activities should take place before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m., according to the department.
In addition, the LADWP also issued several other restrictions: no washing vehicles using a hose without a self-closing nozzle, no water should flow off a property, and no hosing down the driveway or sidewalk.
The department also recommended residents with swimming pools use a pool cover to prevent evaporation and wash their cars at commercial facilities.
The LADWP officials also urged their customers to take advantage of water-saving rebates and programs, such as a $3-a-square-foot rebate for turf replacement and the utility’s high-efficiency showerhead and faucet aerator giveaways “to maximize water conservation and save on their water bills.”
LADWP said it will be patrolling the streets of Los Angeles to “educate Angelenos on the days of the week watering restrictions and to enforce the ordinance.”
The regulation was embraced by some, but others have different ideas about water conservation.
Luke Huang, a resident of Hacienda Heights, said he thinks the city should invest more money in repairing leaking pipes and improving the water system.
“You can still take showers regularly. There is no better way to solve the drought problem. But I think what the city should do is to replace the water pipes,” Huang told The Epoch Times. “Gallons of water could run off during transportation if there is a pipe leakage.”
Jacob Sayono, a Westwood resident who lives in an apartment, said he will not be impacted by the policy but thinks residents should do whatever they can to conserve water.
“I believe it is good to regulate water usage according to the climate circumstances. But I believe we as a society should conserve water usage in the first place,” Sayono told The Epoch Times.
