Submitted by City of Lacey
To reduce peak demand during summer months, the City of Lacey’s mandatory alternate-day watering schedule for yards and outdoor landscapes will begin Wednesday, June 1, 2017. Alternate-day watering is mandatory for all Lacey water customers during June, July, August and September.
Lacey water customers with addresses ending in odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, and 9) may water Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday. Those with addresses ending in even numbers (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8) may water on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Friday is a non-watering day.
Scheduled watering applies to grass, annual and perennial ornamental flowerbeds, vegetable gardens, and any other landscaping regularly maintained outside a residence or commercial building. Water used for other purposes such as pools, pressure washing, outdoor potted plants, hanging baskets, and plants stored inside greenhouses are not currently restricted by this policy. Lacey water customers who fail to follow the alternate- day watering schedule will receive a warning. Repeated violations could ultimately lead to discontinued water service.
The watering policy allows for limited exemptions (i.e. newly seeded lawns, newly installed landscapes, and publicly owned facilities with active playfields). Customers must contact Lacey Water Resources to obtain an exemption to the alternate-day watering schedule.
In 2006, the Lacey City Council approved the watering policy to reduce peak water demand during the summer. Prior to implementation, Lacey water customers used an average of 12.4 million gallons of water per day with peak days of 17 million gallons during the summer. The alternate-day watering policy has successfully reduced Lacey’s peak water-use days and overall summer water usage even though Lacey’s water utility has increased over 20%. In the summer of 2016, Lacey’s customers used about 13 million gallons of water per day, with a high water use day of 13.7 million gallons.
Reminder magnets, outdoor water conservation kits, automatic shut-off hose timers, and soil moisture sensors are all available FREE to Lacey water customers. These items will be available beginning June 1st at the public works counter at Lacey City Hall, 420 College St. SE Lacey, WA 98503.
For more information regarding the alternate day watering policy, please contact Lacey Water Resources at 360-491-5600, or by email at WaterResources@ci.lacey.wa.us. Information is also available on the City of Lacey’s website.
