Mandatory water cuts make xeriscaping more appealing

The City of San Diego will begin enforcing its new water conservation policy today. The policy has left a lot of people either confused or completely in the dark so here is the cliffs notes version:

• residents in odd-numbered houses can water their lawns on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays
  
• Even-numbered houses would be permitted to irrigate Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays
• Businesses, condos, apartments and homeowners associations would be allowed to water on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

On your designated day, spray irrigation systems can be on for 10 minutes before 10 am or after 6pm (at Kate Presents, we like 6-8am waterings because it cuts down on evaporation but also reduces the mildew and fungus problems you can get watering at night).

But the good news is: low water use irrigation systems like soaker hoses and drip irrigation are exempt! That means all of us who are already saving water will not be punished for being ahead of the curve.

And yes, the City does plan to enforce the new regulations. They have hired 10 water enforcement agents to patrol the city looking for water hogs. 30 minutes a week will push many lawns right to edge, so if you are in a hot or dry area, consider taking out your lawn (yep, we do have a previous posting about how to go about doing just that).