Outdoor water-use restriction

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An outdoor water-use restriction is a ban or other lesser restrictions put into effect that restricts the outdoor use of water supplies. Often called a watering ban, it can affect:

irrigation of lawns
car washing
recreational uses such as filling swimming pools and using water slides
planting or grass or control of the types of grass planted

Such bans may be put in place by local governments, or by a state government. In the latter case, local authorities often still can enact more restrictive restrictions.

Such a ban is usually enacted during droughts, to preserve water for essential uses such as drinking and flushing toilets, as well as for firefighting. If there is a water main break, or a problem with a water tower or other reservoir, a ban may be enacted on a very local and temporary basis. Bans that control wather and plant uses can be permenant.

Violation of such restrictions usually brings a warning at first, then a fine, and finally the cutoff of the water to the home or business if it continues. Enforcement is generall by the local water authority or even from police.

Businesses that use water as a critical part of their operations are usually not exempt. This includes carwashes, plant nurseries, and other landscaping companies. A typical restriction on a car wash would be to recycle the water.

Typical restrictions include:

the "odd/even" system, whereby odd-numbered addresses water on odd-numbered dates, and even-numbered ones on even-numbered dates
There are also day-based restrictions where water use is restricted to specific days of the week
time restrictions based on the hour of the day. Usage may be prohibited from noon or late morning until late afternoon or evening. This is the time of day, when much of the spray is lost to evaporation.

Drip irrigation systems may or may not be exempt. Using native vegetation, such as xeriscaping in desert locations, avoids having to water in the first place. Using greywater or stored runoff from a roof gutter downspout is also an alternative for trees and shrubs, but not for large expanses of grass, which would be difficult to cover.

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