| Drought Restrictions In support of the SNWA
Drought Plan, local city and county governments have been adopting various
restrictions to help curb water use during the drought. This information
provides a general description of the various restrictions.
Conservation provisions for golf
course irrigation
Golf courses will be subject to water budgets,
with appropriate surcharges applied to any water used over the budgeted
amounts. Surcharges will be assessed on an annual basis and will be in
addition to the price paid for water. Courses that exceed their water budget
will have significant financial penalties assessed to the excess water
use.
| Drought Watch |
Drought Alert |
Drought Emergency |
| Water budgets established to impact the
top 10 percent of the golf course industry's water use. Budgets will be
calculated based upon the current irrigated acreage. Overuse surcharges
will apply. |
Water budgets established to impact the
top 20 percent of the golf course industry's water use. Budgets will be
calculated based upon the current irrigated acreage. Overuse surcharges
will apply. |
A citizens advisory committee will develop
measures for this stage. |
SNWA will establish a recommended water budget in
acre-feet per irrigated acre based upon the 2001 collective water use of
all courses served by SNWA agencies.
For the purpose of applying this policy, golf courses will be water
budgeted based upon acre-feet of water (including potable, raw, reclaimed
and recycled water) for each acre currently being irrigated. The irrigated
acreage will include lakes and ponds existing within a golf course and
lakes and ponds serving in total or in part, as a golf course irrigation
reservoir. Once measured, the irrigated acreage will remain fixed, creating
incentive for golf courses to convert unneeded turf to other styles of
water-efficient landscaping. If a golf course expands its course by increasing
the number of playing holes, a new irrigated acreage will be determined.
Water used in excess of budgeted amounts will be subject to a surcharge
as described in the table below:
| Percentage of budget |
101 to 120 percent |
121 to 140 percent |
Over 140 percent |
| Surcharge to apply to water use in excess
of budget |
2.0 times the highest rate paid for water
within budget. |
4.0 times the highest rate paid for water
within budget. |
8.0 times the highest rate paid for water
within budget. |
In the event that a golf course utilizes multiple sources of water
provided at different rates, the water budgeting surcharge rate will be
calculated proportionately. Each water purveyor will develop and implement
its own process for billing and collections of water budget penalties.
Fountains and ornamental water
features drought conditions
All fountains and water features using water provided by an SNWA member
agency will be subject to drought restrictions. This will include the use
of SNWA agency water that has been recycled or reprocessed by the customer.
| Drought Watch |
Drought Alert |
Drought Emergency |
| Use prohibited. Exemptions provided as
allowed by jurisdictional governmental bodies. |
Same provisions as Drought Watch stage. |
A citizens advisory committee will develop
measures for this stage. |
The following uses are exempt:
-
Fountains and water features supplied by privately-owned
water rights
-
Residential fountains and water features of less
than 200 square-feet surface area
-
Fountains or water features that are necessary
and functional components serving other allowable uses (for example, storage
ponds on a golf course or aeration devices)
-
Indoor water features or features with the majority
of the total water volume contained indoors or underground.
-
Commercial fountains or water features vital to
a core economic function, including, but not limited to:
-
Recreational water parks, both public and private
-
Water features integral or vital to an entertainment
venue, such that substantial economic harm could be associated with discontinuation
of use.
Fountains or water features necessary to sustain
aquatic animals, provided that such animals are of significant value and
have been actively managed within the water feature prior to declaration
of drought.
Water users can petition the appropriate governingjurisdiction
to use an ornamental water feature. The petitioner must show that the water
feature serves a core economic function.
Misting system provisions
Residential misting systems will not be restricted
under Drought Watch; however, commercial use is allowed only under certain
conditions.
| Drought Watch |
Drought Alert |
Drought Emergency |
| Beginning Aug. 1, commercial
properties may use only between the hours of noon and 10 p.m.
Beginning Sept. 1, commercial properties may not use mist systems
at all.
|
All nonessential outdoor
uses related to human comfort are prohibited. |
A citizens advisory committee
will develop measures for this stage. |
Man-Made lakes
Provisions apply to all man-made lakes with
more than one acre of surface area, where all or part of the water used
is water delivered by an SNWA agency.
| Drought Watch |
Drought Alert |
Drought Emergency |
Lakes that serve, in
whole or part, as a functional reservoir for a golf course will be included
in the calculation of a golf course water budget. All other man-made lakes
will pay drought surcharges on all fill water.
|
Same as the Drought Watch
stage. |
A citizens advisory committee
will develop measures for this stage. |
Outdoor water-use restrictions
Surface,
building and equipment washing:
| Drought Watch |
Drought Alert |
Drought Emergency |
| Prohibited unless water is
discharged to a sanitary sewer through approved methods or contained on
site. |
Same restrictions apply as
Drought Watch. |
A citizens advisory committee
will develop measures for this stage of the drought. |
Vehicle washing:
| Drought Watch |
Drought Alert |
Drought Emergency |
| Positive shut-off nozzle required for
residential use and limited to once per week.
Commercial vehicle washing prohibited except where water is captured
to a sanitary sewer through approved methods.
Mobile car washing is allowed as long as company uses high-pressure,
low-volume equipment and uses less than 10 gallons of water per vehicle.
|
All vehicle washing prohibited except
where water is captured to a sanitary sewer through approved methods. Also
allowed is commercial high-pressure processes using less than 10 gallons
of water per vehicle. |
A citizens advisory committee will develop
measures for this stage. |
Landscape development codes
In the case of permits issued prior to the adoption
of these restrictions, the development rules at the time of permitting
will apply.
| Drought Watch |
Drought Alert |
Drought Emergency |
Turf prohibited in
new commercial and nonresidential properties except under permit. Under
no circumstances may the permit allow for more than 50 percent of the turf
allowed under nondrought conditions.
|
Each jurisdiction will notify
the public of the potential impacts under Drought Alert condition.
-
No new turf in residential front yards
-
New turf installation allowed in residential back yards up to a maximum
of 50 percent of the landscapeable area
-
Multifamily residences allowed new turf up to 50 percent of the turf
limitations under nondrought conditions.
-
Installation of warm-season grass is permitted during the summer months.
The planting of cool-season grasses is prohibited May through August. During
September through April, a 30-day exemption on watering day restrictions
will be made for new turf installation.
|
A citizens advisory committee
will develop measures for this stage. |
Water Waste
 The
Water Authority focuses on education,
not citation.When
someone reports water waste to the Water Authority,
we forward the complaint to the member agency that serves as the water
purveyor in that area for investigation.
A representative from the water delivery purveyor
contacts the property owner to inform them of the water waste problem.
The customer is given time to correct the problem. If the water waste continues,
the water purveyor may issue a citation that requires a mandatory court
appearance, or the purveyor may charge a water waste fee on the customer's
water bill.
Information Source: Southern
Nevada Water Authority
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