Council passes water restrictions

CITY HALL — Residents will be limited to irrigating their yards three days a week starting immediately in response to a statewide water crisis that has cities across the region enacting similar restrictions.

The City Council on Tuesday voted 4 to 0, with Councilman Dave Weaver absent, to initiate the second phase of a water conservation ordinance limiting outdoor watering to Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for no more than 10 minutes a day. Irrigation will also not be allowed between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

“We are currently in water emergency,” said General Manager Glenn Steiger. “There has been no improvement in the situation.”

Glendale Water & Power pushed for the water restrictions to help it stay within a reduced allotment from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies up to 70% of Glendale’s water, that went into effect in July.

The restrictions come in a climate of extreme conservation, with some utilities, including the Crescenta Valley Water District and Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, already limiting irrigation to just two days a week.

Despite some grumblings among homeowners in past months, no one from the public spoke, and council members, who have supported water restrictions, raised only a handful of questions before passing the resolution.

Councilman Ara Najarian asked for an update on artificial turf displays ahead of possibly bringing the issue back to the dais.

Mayor Frank Quintero asked how the Americana at Brand’s fountain is being handled, since the ordinance bans the use of drinking water in decorative fountains.

Steiger said the utility is working with Americana officials to reduce water use elsewhere at the mixed-use complex to offset the fountain’s water usage because people view it as an important component to the center.

In anticipation of the regulations, Glendale Water & Power last month launched a massive public outreach campaign — including direct mailings, public service announcements, newspaper advertisements and bill inserts — to get the word out about what residents should expect.

In response, some residents have already begun to complain of code enforcement citations of brown lawns, which they say will only increase as a result of the water restrictions.

But city officials contend that the limitations will still allow enough water to sustain “moderate green” landscapes and point to drought-tolerant plants as turf alternatives.