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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Irrigate residential and commercial landscape between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. only.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Use only recirculated water to operate ornamental fountains.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Offer guests in hotels, motels, and other commercial lodging establishments the option of not laundering towels and linens daily.
10. 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.
11. Use a water recirculation system for commercial conveyor car washes and all new commercial laundry systems.
12. Repair all water leaks within five days of notification by the City of Poway, unless other arrangements are made with the City Manager.
13. Reset irrigation clocks as necessary to water once per week in winter and not more than three times per week in summer.
14. Add water to maintain the level in swimming pools and spas only when necessary.
15. Serve and refill water in restaurants and other food service establishments only upon request.
16. Run only fully loaded dishwashers and washing machines.
17. 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.