FOLSOM, Calif. — New water restrictions in Folsom will have people cutting back their water use at the end of August.
Following a stage three water conservation declaration from the city manager, the city is requiring people to reduce their water use by 20%. This means landscape and hand watering will be reduced to two days a week among other restrictions.
The following restrictions will be in place starting Aug. 30:
- Landscape and hand watering is limited to two days per week
- Washing of parking lots, streets, driveways, or sidewalks is banned
- The use of city water for construction purposes without city approval is banned
- Restaurants are required to only serve water upon request
- All pools, spas, and ornamental fountains/ponds shall be equipped with a recirculation pump
- Pool draining and refilling shall be allowed only to the extent required for health, maintenance, or structural considerations
Since landscape is noted as 60% of citywide water use, the city is also restricting the following for landscape watering:
- Landscape watering is limited to two days per week, except for drip irrigation, which may be done on any day. There might be exceptions if there are two or more consecutive days with temperatures above 100 degrees.
- Customers with street addresses that end with an odd number can irrigate only on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and customers with street addresses that end with an even number can irrigate only on Wednesdays and Sundays.
- No irrigation is allowed on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
“While the city has the adequate water supply and water rights to meet our needs, we must work together to conserve and preserve our precious water resources amid California’s historic drought," Folsom City Manager Elaine Andersen said.
The city will also be following some restrictions of its own, which would see reduced watering in parks. High-traffic areas like sports fields will stay green, but watering might be cut if conditions warrant it, the city said in a news release.
Other impacts include reduced water usage in public streetscapes and temporarily discontinuing the flushing of fire hydrants and waterlines.
Folsom water customers can track their water use by downloading the City of Folsom’s water conservation app, Dropcountr.
Folsom's water supply comes from the American River at Folsom Lake. The city said the lake's storage levels are lower than historic drought conditions in 2014 and 2015 and that this year is the second driest year on record since 1977.
The Bureau of Reclamation and Department of Water Resources project that the lake will reach 15% capacity by December 2021.
