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Water Use Efficiency Measures
Poway water customers are encouraged to comply with water use efficiency measures, defined in the Poway Municipal Code Chapter 8.94:
- Do not wash down paved surfaces, including but not limited to sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, or patios, except when necessary to alleviate safety or sanitation hazards.
- Do not allow water waste from inefficient landscape irrigation, such as runoff, low head drainage, or overspray and do not allow water flows onto nontargeted areas, such as adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, hardscapes, roadways, or structures.
- Irrigate residential and commercial landscape between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. only.
- Irrigate nursery and commercial grower's products between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. only. Watering is permitted at any time using a hand-held hose equipped with a positive shut-off nozzle, a bucket, or when a drip/micro-irrigation system/equipment is used. Irrigation of nursery propagation beds is permitted at any time. Water for livestock is permitted at any time.
- Use only a hand-held hose equipped with a positive shut-off nozzle or bucket to water landscaped areas, including trees and shrubs located on residential and commercial properties that are not irrigated by a landscape irrigation system.
- Use only recirculated water to operate ornamental fountains.
- Add water to maintain the level of water in swimming pools and spas only when necessary (to ensure proper operation of the pool filter). A pool cover is encouraged, but not required.
- Wash vehicles only using a bucket and a hand-held hose with positive shut-off nozzle, mobile high pressure/low volume wash system, or at a commercial site that recirculates (reclaims) water on site. Do not wash vehicles during hot conditions when additional water is required due to evaporation.
- Offer guests in hotels, motels, and other commercial lodging establishments the option of not laundering towels and linens daily.
- Do not use single-pass cooling equipment in new commercial applications, including, but not limited to, air conditioners, air compressors, vacuum pumps, and ice machines.
- Use a water recirculation system for commercial conveyor car washes and all new commercial laundry systems.
- Repair all water leaks within five days of notification by the City of Poway, unless other arrangements are made with the City Manager.
- Reset irrigation clocks as necessary to water once per week in winter and not more than three times per week in summer.
- Add water to maintain the level in swimming pools and spas only when necessary.
- Serve and refill water in restaurants and other food service establishments only upon request.
- Run only fully loaded dishwashers and washing machines.
- Use recycled or non-potable water for construction purposes to the fullest extent possible when available (Ordinance 682 Section 1, 2008).
State mandatory restrictions prohibit all Californians from the following:
- Allowing runoff when watering with potable water;
- Use of hoses with no shutoff nozzles to wash cars;
- Watering outdoors during and within 48 hours following measurable rainfall;
- Use of potable water in decorative water features that do not recirculate the water;
- Use of potable water to wash sidewalks and driveways, except for health and safety reasons; and
- Use of potable water is prohibited for the irrigation of non-functional turf at commercial, industrial and institutional sites except to the extent necessary to ensure the health of trees and other perennial non-turf plantings, or for health and safety needs.