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Watering Restrictions

Watering Restrictions

For the 2025 outdoor irrigation season, we are asking residential customers to help manage peak demands on our water system. Residential customers are asked to follow a voluntary watering schedule and only water their turf grass on designated days throughout the irrigation season.

water-restriction

Up to 3 watering days per week based on address:

  • Residential addresses ending in an odd number: Monday, Wednesday,
    Saturday
  • Residential addresses ending in an even number: Tuesday, Thursday,
    Sunday

*This watering schedule is voluntary and is only meant for turf irrigation. It does not affect drip irrigation, or watering trees, gardens, etc.

Watering best practices:

  • Water between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. when wind and evaporation are minimal.
  • Only water two days per week so the grass develops deeper roots. Add a
    third day on weeks that temperatures are 90 degrees or higher
  • Divide your total watering time into two blocks with an hour in between so
    that the soil can better absorb the water.
  • For new sod installations, be mindful of overwatering to avoid water
    running off into the sidewalk and the gutter. Set a calendar reminder two
    weeks after installation to set your sprinkler controller back to a normal
    two day per week watering pattern.

We are asking all customers to delay planting new sod from June – August.

Thank you again for your cooperation, help and patience this summer.

If you have any questions, please

FAQ's

A: During the spring and summer months, over half of the water used by residential customers is used outdoors. Outdoor irrigation creates a diurnal water demand pattern, with high demands at night, when most residents water, and significantly lower demands during the day. This often requires extreme adjustments in production at the water treatment plant throughout the day, sometimes as much as doubling production within a few hours to meet the increased water demand.

Using a watering schedule to limit turf grass watering to certain days based on address makes it so the operational needs of the water treatment plant are more predictable. It helps mitigate wide swings in production by spreading the demand more evenly. Steadier production means steadier processes, protecting our ability to always deliver high-quality water and helping to lower energy demands involved in ramping plant production up and down to extremes.

A: We are initially focused on residential customers because, during the summer months, irrigation is typically their primary water usage, whereas this is not always the case for businesses. Residential irrigation systems are generally simpler to program and manage, and these properties tend to be more consistent and less complex than commercial properties. While businesses may be considered for this recommendation in the future, by starting with residential customers, we can more effectively communicate and assess whether the initial efforts lead to a reduction in peak water demand before expanding the recommendation.

A: The restrictions were not mandatory but were highly encouraged to ensure we can maintain adequate water pressure throughout the system as well as an appropriate water supply for fire protection needs.

A: The restrictions start May 1 through October 31.

A: FCLWD does have adequate water supply for our District. 

A: Yes, all residential customers are asked to follow the watering schedule.

A: We recommend only using the water needed while waiting for the sod to establish and making sure you are using your water efficiently by avoiding overwatering. When your sod has rooted, typically after two weeks, please reduce your watering schedule to normal levels (up to two times per week) based on the above schedule.

A: These restrictions are highly recommended but are not mandatory. We encourage customers to share our recent emails and letters with neighbors to help spread the word so we can all do our part. As FCLWD cannot enforce the restrictions due to the limits of our Title 32 organizational structure, we are relying on voluntary compliance to avoid the need for more extreme measures.

A: FCLWD is not a land-use authority; meaning we don’t have any say in how the land in our district is used. Land use is determined by the cities and counties where we provide water. Land use authorities are also the authority that issues and manages building permits. If you have questions or concerns about land-use code, please contact the municipality directly involved.

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