It was a good month for water conservation in the City of Ripon.

At Tuesday’s monthly session, Public Works Director James Pease reported to the Ripon City Council that water usage for March by residents was down 36 percent – he used 2013 pre-drought water level to make his baseline comparison.

Pease added that water usage, on the year-to-date report, was up 3 percent from last year’s figures.

Folks can now do their watering three times per week, from now through the end of October.

According to the Water Conservation Ordinance, all properties within the city with an even-numbered addresses are allowed to water their landscape on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Properties with odd-numbered addresses can only do so on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.

No watering will be allowed between 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or 48 hours following measurable rainfall.

As for penalties, those in violation within a one-year period would be fine $50. The second such violation – within one year – would be a $100 fine.

The third violation within that one-year period would go up to $200, and $400 on any additional violation outside of that during the same one-year period.

Those penalties will apply to those who don on follow the prescribed conservation measures.

For more information, log on to www.cityofripon.org.