[Vision2020] The Daily News 5/18/2004: Water Ordinance Passes

[Saundra Lund]

Water ordinance passes; New regulations limit hours, set penalties 

Malia Matson

Moscow residents will be forced to conserve water this summer. 

The City Council on Monday approved both a water conservation ordinance and
a resolution, which limit the hours of outdoor watering and levies penalties
against those who use too much water. 

Mayor Marshall Comstock said passage of the regulations is a good start to
save water. 

The ordinance sets a season and hours in which residents are allowed to
water lawns. The season will run from April 1 to Oct. 31, and limits outdoor
watering of lawns and landscaping to between the hours of 6 p.m. and 10 a.m.


Residents who water outside of those hours will be subject to a citation. 

The resolution establishes penalties for residents who excessively waste
water through malfunctioning faucets, valves, hoses, and sprinklers. 

Residents who do not repair the item within five days after they have been
notified by a city representative will have a surcharge added to their water
bill. The fee is $50 for the first offense, $100 for the second, and $300
for the third offense. After four offenses, the violator's water service
could be temporarily discontinued. The offenses will be cumulative during a
19-month period. The surcharges will be the same as any other charge on a
water bill. 

The passage of the ordinance was not without dissent. 

"I don't like the tone of the ordinance. The punitive approach is
wrongheaded," Councilman Jack Hill said. 

Hill said he would prefer to use education and tiered water rates to improve
water conservation in the city. 

Councilwoman Linda Pall disagreed. She said the ordinance doesn't abandon
education and that penalties are only for those who ignore the warnings. 

Changes suggested by council members John Dickinson and Nancy Chaney were
made to the ordinance and the resolution before final adoption. 

Dickinson suggested the watering season be from April 1 to Oct. 31. 

The initial proposal had called for a watering season from May 1 to Sept.
30. 

He noted water consumption in April and October fluctuates depending upon
the weather and that it made sense to cover those months in the ordinance. 

Chaney said penalties should accumulate over a 19-month period to cover two
watering seasons instead of one. This would be more effective to get people
to change their behavior for the long term, she said. The initial proposal
called for a six-month penalty period. 

Chaney also suggested a clause at the beginning of the resolution, similar
to that of the ordinance, that states the purpose. The clause would
acknowledge the declining levels of the Grande Ronde aquifer, which supplies
most of Moscow's water. 

The ordinance and resolution will both be complaint driven. 

The resolution went into effect immediately after passage because it is
considered policy and not city code, Public Works Director Les MacDonald
said. 

The ordinance will become effective five days after publication. 


QUICKREAD 

What happened 
The Moscow City Council passed a water conservation ordinance and
water-waste resolution Monday night to address the issue of declining
aquifer levels. The ordinance sets an irrigation season and restricts
watering hours within that season. The resolution assesses penalties for
wasting water. 

What it means 
People using water in Moscow will be limited to watering lawn and
landscaping between the hours of 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. from April 1 to Oct. 31.
Violators can be issued citations. Consumers will incur surcharges on water
bills for excessively leaky hoses, sprinklers, valves, and faucets. The fees
will range from $50 to $200, escalating for each offense within a 19-month
period. Service may be stopped if surcharges are not paid, or after four
violations for significant water waste. 

What happens next 
The resolution goes into effect immediately. The ordinance will go into
effect five days after it has been published in its entirety for the public.
A study to determine the possibility of implementing tiered water rates also
will be finished in about six months. 


Malia Matson can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 239, or by e-mail at
mmatson@dnews.com.