Summer water restrictions take effect in San Diego

Summer rules that impact when and how often San Diego residents can water their lawns took effect Monday.

Residents can water their lawns before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. three days a week from June through October, and for no more than 10 minutes at a time.

Mandatory water-use restrictions were imposed last June after the City Council declared a “level 2” drought in San Diego, but the restrictions are different in summer months, compared to the rest of the year.

Between November and May, residents were prohibited from watering between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and could only run their sprinklers for seven minutes at a time.

Mayor Jerry Sanders said the reason for the change in the summer is to prevent people from watering during the height of day, when water tends to evaporate.

“The good news is you can keep your sprinklers running a little bit longer during the summer months — 10 minutes instead of the current seven minutes,’’ Sanders said.

Throughout the year, homes with odd-numbered addresses are permitted to water on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Homes with even-numbered addresses can water on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays.

Apartments, condominiums and businesses can water only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

San Diegans cut back on water use by 9.2 percent citywide in April, compared to April of last year, Sanders said. Overall, water use is down by almost 12 percent since the restrictions were imposed.

“The latest water conservation figures for April prove once again that people in this city are rising to the challenge,” Sanders said.

“There is no end in sight when it comes to the region’s water shortage,” he said, “but we will all be just as fine as long as we keep doing the things we have been doing up until this point.”