Water Guerilla

Even though Sacramento is arid, by nature, its location at the confluence of two major rivers has allowed it to escape the sort of watering rules that are common elsewhere in California.

So, the City of Sacramento has finally decided to implement new watering rules, and begin enforcing others already on its books.

The rules are kept simple, to make administration easy, but there is enough nonsense in them to make the people rebel. Here are the rules:

New outdoor watering rules are in effect for all residents and businesses who pay water bills to the city of Sacramento. These are permanent changes.

Key changes:

• Watering banned from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Hose used for washing car must have shut-off nozzle.

• When standard time is in effect (generally November to March), watering allowed only one day a week (see below).

Continuing rules:

• Watering allowed only on alternate days: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday for addresses ending in odd numbers (Saturdays only during standard time); Wednesday, Friday, Sunday for even addresses (Sundays only during standard time); no one may water on Mondays.

• Watering days apply whether watering lawns or gardens; also apply to both sprinklers and hand-watering.

• Water waste prohibited: No one may willingly allow water to run off property into gutters or streets while irrigating landscaping.

• Washing driveways, sidewalks, parking lots is banned (except for health and safety reasons with prior approval).

Exceptions:

• New landscaping or garden plants may be watered daily for 21 days from the date of planting.

Source: City of Sacramento

My beef is with the continuing rules. With caliche-type soils such are common in the Central Valley, in order to avoid runoff, shorter, more-frequent waterings are called for. This is particularly true with south-facing slopes.

I have a strip of grass in front of my house on a steep, south-facing slope. In order to avoid water runoff, I can't rely on any sprinkler or sprinkler system - I have to apply water by hose, by hand, and since the amounts of water I'm using are quite small, at the height of summer, in August, I have to water every other night, or sometimes nightly. The rules prescribe that, at times, I have to wait four days (from Thursday night till Tuesday night) between waterings. That long a gap means death to that strip of grass.

So, I will adjust my ways, but given my predilection to stay up all night doing various tasks anyway, will anyone notice the man with the hose at 3 a.m.?