Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2003 | 8:57 a.m.
North Las Vegans will have to make sure their lawn-sprinkler timers are set for the right days, not wash their cars more than once a week -- and they will be paying more for their water.
Beginning today North Las Vegas water and sewer customers face higher rates and new water-use restrictions similar to those put in place throughout the rest of the Las Vegas Valley during the last few months. The higher rates will add about $4 a month to the average customer's water and sewer bill.
North Las Vegas is the last jurisdiction in the valley to implement the new water-use restrictions, which are intended to cut water use as the region faces the worst drought on record.
For valley residents who are customers of the Las Vegas Valley Water District, some water-use restrictions went into effect Aug. 1, while others kicked in on Sept. 1. In Henderson the restrictions went into effect Sept. 1, and Boulder City residents were supposed to begin adhering to the new water-use regulations on Sept. 17.
Last week federal and local officials said conservation efforts appear to be working. The region is on pace to use almost 15 percent less water from Lake Mead this year than last year, they said.
Water and utility officials from the Water District and Henderson said that by and large residents are responding well to the new restrictions, although some are having trouble getting their sprinklers timed right.
"There's a learning curve for the assigned watering days because it's the first time we've done it," Water District spokesman Vince Alberta said.
North Las Vegas water customers, which include residents of the unincorporated Sunrise Manor community, will start the four-day-a-week watering schedule in place elsewhere today.
Residents whose addresses end with an odd number will be allowed to water on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Residents whose addresses end with an even number and businesses will be allowed to water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
All customers are allowed to water on Sundays, too, North Las Vegas Utilities Manager Kirk Medina said.
The city's approximately 54,000 water customers were mailed notices of the new watering restrictions.
Anyone with questions about the new restrictions, or who may need help adjusting their sprinkler timer, should call the city utility services customer service office at 633-1484 for help, Medina said.
In addition to the day restrictions, the city's new water-use rules also ban commercial fountains larger than 200-square-feet, prohibit the use of commercial misters from September through May and limit car washing to once a week.
Water-use restriction violators will first be given a warning letter and 14 days to correct the problem. After that violators face fines of $20 for the first offense, $40 for the second, $80 for a third violation, $160 for the fourth offense and $320 for the fifth violation, he said.
During September, the Water District issued 1,160 warning notices and 114 fines, including 18 for customers watering on the wrong days of the week, a district spokeswoman said. The fines for the district are the same as they are in North Las Vegas.
The increased water and sewer rates for North Las Vegas customers, which also go into effect today, will increase the average water and sewer customer's bill this year, next year, and again in October 2005.
The average customer using an average of 14,000 gallons of water a month has been paying $37.32 a month. That bill will increase to $41.58 beginning this month. It will rise to $47.32 in October 2004 and then to $54.73 in October 2005, according to city figures.
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