STPUD updates code for water restriction days and times in South Lake Tahoe
Submitted by paula on Fri, 02/16/2024 - 8:20pm
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Updates have been made to the water conservation code in South Lake Tahoe, changing the dates and times for watering. During their meeting on February 15, the South Tahoe Public Utility District (District) Board of Directors adopted the updates to comply with the State of California water conservation regulations.
The current codes were implemented in 2015 and have not been substantially updated in 20 years. In that time, the State of California has signed into law multiple water conservation mandates.
The changes:
1. Watering days for drip irrigation – Watering plants deeply and infrequently with a drip system promotes healthy root growth and helps limit weeds. Drip irrigation systems are now required to irrigate on the same designated watering days as spray irrigation: even-numbered
street addresses water Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; odd-numbered street addresses water Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.
2. Designated watering times between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. - Watering midday wastes water due to rapid evaporation, whereas watering during cooler periods allows for water retention.
3. Adding another water conservation stage - Adding another stage creates a step-wise approach if there is a major drought impacting California.
"The State of California continues to mandate water restrictions during droughts," said Shelly Thomsen, director of Public and Legislative Affairs. "These updates will help ease the impact for residents in South Lake Tahoe and promote water efficiency."
To view the updated ordinance, visit stpud.us/waterconsv/.
This year, the District and University of California Master Gardeners are hosting a three-part workshop series on Gardening through the Seasons. These “how-to” classes will focus on how to improve water use efficiency and maintain beautiful wildfire-resilient and water-efficient landscapes.
The workshops kick off with Spring Start Up on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. The focus will be on starting your irrigation system, setting irrigation schedules and tips and tricks to springtime gardening.
Gardening through the Season workshops will be held from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at South Tahoe Public Utility District, 1275 Meadow Crest Drive or virtually. All workshops are free; no registration is required.
For more information, please visit stpud.us or call 530-543-6235.