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--> --> Sprinklers soak the Southern Oregon University lawn Wednesday, where Talent Irrigation District water is used for landscaping. Ashland Daily Tidings/AMY ALONZO City frets water use By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings Ashland will be forced into water curtailment in August or even earlier if residents' water use does not drop considerably in the next few weeks, according to Public Works Director Paula Brown The city Monday enacted the no-waste provision of the water curtailment ordinance, but Brown has seen no decline in residential water use. "I'm not telling people not to drink water, but I still see people washing down sidewalks," Brown said. "It looks like the city will have to use curtailment, which is what we were trying to avoid in the first place." The real problem is the low snowpack in local mountains, according to Brown. While Reeder Reservoir - which holds Ashland's city water - is at 90 percent capacity, the low snowpack will reduce the streams which feed the reservoir to a trickle. The inflow to the reservoir is about 3.5 million gallons a day, which is about half normal for this time of year. Meanwhile, the city is using up about 6.5 million gallons every day. The reservoir usually stays at about 100 percent capacity through July, but it is already down to 90 percent. Unless people can bring city use down to about 5.5 million gallons a day or less, more curtailment is inevitable. "The hammer will drop," Brown said. "I have to not let the city run out of water - that's my job." The no-waste provision was enacted to keep the reservoir from dropping below 50 percent through the summer. When water levels get too low, the water warms and algae grows out of control. "You don't want to go to 50 percent," Brown said. The initial water curtailment phase calls for residents to stop wasting water, with "waste" defined as: watering plants between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.; causing runoff water onto a street, sidewalk or adjoining property for more than five minutes; washing sidewalks or open ground; allowing water to leak out breaks in plumbing longer than 24 hours after recognizing the break; washing vehicles by hose without a shutoff nozzle; serving water at a restaurant unless requested; cleaning or filling decorative fountains unless water is recirculated; using city water for dust control, or washing buildings during construction except for painting preparation. The no-waste provision has not been successful. "All things being equal, were going to have problems by October," Brown said. While residents are asked to stop wasting water, city parks will remain green - at least until the next stage of curtailment goes into effect. "Where we can make adjustments, we're doing that," Parks Director Ken Mickelsen said. "If we go to the next stage (of water curtailment), then there will be a visual impact on our parks." The city has stopped washing tennis courts and sidewalks with water, and the median grass on Siskiyou Boulevard will be allowed go brown. However, keeping most of Lithia Park green is a priority, especially the trees and bushes. "We've put hundreds of thousands of dollars into landscaping in our parks," Mickelsen said. "If we were to let that go it would have a drastic effect." Most of the city's watering system is connected to an irrigation computer which monitors the weather, sending water only where needed. This results in a steady state of water conservation, according to Irrigation Specialist Eric Setterberg. If the next stage of curtailment is enacted, the parks department will have to find a 20-percent cut in water use. Grass - which grows back - will be the first victim. The sports fields at North Mountain Park will likely stay green because the city is switching over to Talent Irrigation Ditch (TID) water at the park in August. Other TID-watered areas include the city-owned Oak Knoll Golf Course and Southern Oregon University. The Ashland Family YMCA is watering its nearby park with well water. Government agencies such as schools, parks, colleges and municipalities are exempt from Stage 1 restrictions if their water consumption is reduced by 20 percent from the volume of water delivered in the same billing period last year. Water at the city's cemeteries has already been cut by 20 percent. Basic water-saving measures can reduce water use by 15 to 20 percent in homes, according to Brown. In later stages of curtailment, the cost of water increases and the amount of water allowed to residents drops. Rates for residents who use more than their share of allocated water will climb 400 percent automatically. Repeat violators can face $500 fines, the placement of flow-restricting devices and even the complete shutoff of city water to their home. For information on how to cut water use, call Ashland Water Conservation Analyst Robbin Pearce at 552-2062. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing