Do as the City of Manteca says and not as it does.
An alert reader snapped a photo of the Manteca Civic Center grass being watered before dawn on Thursday morning.
The problem is under the city’s water conservation program you may not water lawns on Thursdays if you have an odd address such as the Manteca Civic Center which is at 1001 West Center St. Water was also spraying onto the sidewalk and running into the gutter, two other practices the city’s water conservation rules as well as the state prohibit. At least they weren’t watering between noon and 6 p.m.
You are allowed to water on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday if you have an address ending with a 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. You can water Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday if you have an address ending with a 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8. Watering is prohibited all day on Monday and any day between noon and 6 p.m.
The system is designed to allow no more than three days of landscaping watering per week as California struggles with the fourth year of severe drought. It also is in place to make people aware of drought conditions every day.
Manteca’s elected leaders and top department heads have repeatedly said they don’t want to resort to hiring “water cops.” At least now you might see why they would be hesitant as it would be embarrassing for the city to be cited.
It harkens back to the late 1990s when the Manteca Fire Department issued a weed citation to the city for falling to clear dead weeds and tumbleweeds from the Tidewater Bikeway while they were in a dispute with the contractor.
At any rate, the City of Ripon is taking the drought seriously as elected leaders in that community are moving to hire a 30-hour a week water cop. The position is being created to educate people about water rules as well as to cite repeat offenders. Ripon also is moving forward with tougher water use rules.
Manteca’s elected leaders promise to put in place more rules when they meet Tuesday, April 7, at 7 a.m. at the Manteca Civic Center. Hopefully the city can at least remember not to water that day since it is a Tuesday and the civic center is an odd address.
Councilman Mike Morowit at this week’s meeting asked residents with ideas on how the city could conserve water to share them at the April 7 meeting. Want to bet one suggestion will be for the city to follow their own rules?
