No Sprinklers: Drought Measures Tighten In Healdsburg

HEALDSBURG, CA — As California sinks deeper into drought, Healdsburg's City Council moved to impose water restrictions to reduce 40 percent of the city's water usage, city officials announced this week.

The new water conservation policies will restrict residents to 74 gallons of water per day per person, prohibit the use of drip irrigation or sprinklers, ban residents from planting new landscapes, prohibit power washing and more.

"Due to the exceptional drought and significant loss of water rights, Healdsburg’s City Council implemented new water restrictions to preserve our water supply through the remainder of the dry season," according to the City of Healdsburg.

READ MORE: California's Drought Became Dire In May — Here's What To Expect

The following restrictions will be enforced in Healdsburg, according to the city:

• Residents are assigned a water budget of 3 hundred cubic feet per person per month. This is equivalent to 2244 gallons per person per month or 74 gallons per person, per day.
• Irrigation of any kind – drip or sprinklers – is prohibited for all water customers as of June 8, 2021. Recycled water may be used in lieu of potable water.
• Hand-watering is allowed so long as it’s within the residential water budget.
• Planting of new landscaping is prohibited.
• Commercial and Industrial customers must meet a 40 percent reduction or demonstrate all necessary conservation steps have been implemented.
• Power washing and hosing of hardscapes is prohibited.

"We understand these are substantial changes that come with a lot of questions and concerns," officials wrote in a Facebook post.

Residents were encouraged to join a virtual drought response meeting on June 16 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. to go over water supply projections, water use data and the new conservation efforts.

Registration for the meeting can be found here.