West Hollywood is working to use less water and calling on residents and businesses to do the same due to the severity of drought conditions in California.
“Every region of the state is affected by scarce supplies of water, but in Los Angeles County, conditions are particularly severe—the region has recently experienced one of the lowest amounts of rainfall on record,” the city said in a press release. “The threat of a severe water shortage is a serious one in the City of West Hollywood, where daily existence depends largely upon water piped in from sources outside the region.
“The City has made adjustments to its irrigation controllers to reduce water consumption by as much as 50 percent. City parks, medians, and landscape areas are affected by these efforts and all are being monitored to ensure that the reduced watering cycles are not adversely affecting landscape. The City is also in the process of auditing all indoor fixtures and outdoor water use practices in its facilities, parks, and public spaces.”
The city names among its conservation efforts the use of sensor-operated restroom faucets, dual-flush toilets, water-free urinals, water brooms (used for pool decks and outdoor courts), and a centralized irrigation control system (used in city’s parks and landscape areas to monitor water usage and flow).
The city plans to crack down on enforcement of water-use restrictions and offers these conservation tips:
- Sweep, don’t hose; hosing water on sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, tennis courts, patios or other paved areas (except to alleviate immediate fire, sanitation or health hazards) is not allowed in WeHo
- Take shorter showers and use less water in baths
- Use water-efficient fixtures and appliances such as low-flow showerheads and high-efficiency toilets
- Check sprinklers and don’t overwater; water early in the morning or later in the evening when temperatures are cooler to reduce evaporation. Make sure sprinkler heads are functioning properly and ensure there are no leaks in irrigation systems. Switch to drip irrigation to reduce water use.
Hey, why don’t they start by pulling out the grass along Santa Monica Blvd. ? I was appalled recently to see it so green and being watered. Up north, a lot of us are letting our grass die, brown is the new normal, while WeHo is still watering grass on their stupid median’s.
how about some rocks? art? statues? desert plants?
Replacing the medians with drought-resistant plants sounds like a good idea — a little expensive now but it’ll save water & money in the future. I hope the city’s conservation efforts are permanent and don’t go away when the drought is over.
Is there a way to report water waste?
It is each of our responsibility to conserve where we can. I took out all the grass in the front of my house and put in red mulch.. and it looks fine and there is no maintenance. At the last council meeting Prang suggested the removal of the grass in the medians and to add natural, drought resistant landscaping. Now that’s a start where the city can lead by example.
Larry just to add to your thought. These medians were designed by highly paid landscape architects, over planted by at least 20-30%, and poorly maintained by the contractors at present. (note water in the street on fairfax regularly just one example) Landscape Architects often over design and size plant choices at great cost to the city. The city should not have to continue to spend more money to redo things it has already paid for and continues to pay extra to replace. Landscape Maintenance just like trash removal is highly competitive and should be addressed on a yearly or bi… Read more »
West Hollywood residents, at least on the west side of town, get their water from the City of Beverly Hills. Beverly Hills City Council is holding a public hearing on July 29 to consider raising water rates and fees recommended by its Public Works Commission. We need to ask Beverly Hills City Council, why does the Beverly Hills Utility Dept. continue to send letters in response to EIRs, that they can supply water to new developments when there is a serious water shortage and our water rates must be increased to handle the higher wholesale water rates from the Metropolitan… Read more »
I will take them seriously when the city stops increasing demand by approving HUGE new developments with huge NEW water demand. Every drop we conserve is slopped up by new mega developments. How about declining to approve major new water demand that is significantly larger than what exists?
Here are 5 tips to save up to 20-30% without changing your landscape 1-Water in the early am say 5-7 am (winds are low, air is cool, and this does not breed fungus like night time watering in the summer months.) Night time watering is very bad and should not be recommended in most cases. 2-Watering with a hose actually uses less than sprinklers as it can be targeted where and when its needed. ( also a great way to meet your neighbors.) 3-Stagger water times for a good deep soak ( so if you water an area for 15… Read more »
can’t wait to see the city really lead by example by scrapping their plans to cut down old growth trees and historic buildings to create “great lawns”.