Lawn watering goes to one day

Dan Kulin

Friday, Oct. 29, 2004 | 9:57 a.m.

To find out which day you are allowed to water, go to the Southern Nevada Water Authority Web site at www.snwa.com or call 258-7283.

After turning the clocks back for the end of Daylight-Saving Time, and trick-or -treating, remember to change the sprinkler timers too so those lawns only get watered one day a week.

Beginning Monday, watering in the Las Vegas area will be limited to one day a week.

Residents and businesses have been allowed to water lawns three days a week during the fall watering season. But that changes to once a week for the winter-watering schedule which begins Monday and runs through Feb. 28.

The change gives residents a chance to save significant amounts of water, Southern Nevada Water Authority spokesman Vince Alberta said. This is because typically about 70 percent of all the water used by residential customers is used outdoors. Water used indoors is returned to Lake Mead after being treated.

As during the fall, residents have assigned watering days based on what watering group they belong too. Watering groups are identified by the letters A through F.

Information on which watering group one belongs to can be found on water bills, is available through a customer's water distributor, and can also be found on the water authority Web site at www.snwa.com, or by calling the water authority at 258-7283.

"This four-month stretch is the most critical time for us because we can generate the biggest savings," Alberta said about reducing water use.

"Because of the cooler temperatures you can water one day a week and maintain a healthy landscape. You can really oversaturate a landscape if you're still on the fall watering schedule," he said. "It's just getting people to remember."

Restricting when residents and businesses can water their lawns is just one of several water-use rules adopted about a year ago by local governments at the request of the water authority.

The restrictions, which came about in response to a five-year drought, also limited the use of misting systems and some ornamental fountains.

Violating the water-use restrictions, including watering on the wrong day, could result in a fine.

With the restrictions in place, the Las Vegas area is using less water than this year than in 2003 and in 2002, Alberta said.

Water used from January through September this year was down a little over 1 percent than during the same period in 2003, according to water authority figures.