Lawns might get a little less water

June Casagrande

Owners of overactive sprinklers beware: The city could soon target

residents and businesses who over-water their lawns.

The city’s water quality committee recently shot down an idea to

ban most private car washing in the city, but lawn watering, they

decided, is an area where added city scrutiny could make a worthwhile

difference.

“Most people water their lawns way too much,” said Assistant City

Manager Dave Kiff, who serves on the Coastal/Bay Water Quality

Committee. “I think that irrigation overflow is the biggest cause of

urban runoff in Newport Beach today.”

Later this month, the City Council will consider modifying the

city’s water quality ordinance to prohibit excessive lawn watering.

If the change is approved, the city would begin a “gentle” but

determined effort to stop property owners from over-watering.

Whenever irrigation water is running off a lawn and into the

street or storm drain, that lawn is being over-watered, experts say.

Code enforcement officials who spot this type of runoff would begin

by talking with the offender. In most cases, fixing the problem is as

simple as resetting a timer on a sprinkler system. If a verbal

warning doesn’t do the trick, written warnings and ultimately fines

would be used.

Residents can watch their sprinklers in action for a brief while

to see whether the jets are aimed in the right place and whether any

water is running into the street. But it’s not always that simple.

Even the city is guilty of over-watering in medians, parkways and

other public areas.

“The city’s not innocent either. We don’t have perfectly timed

sprinklers,” Kiff said. “But we’re working on it.”

The committee also considered making it illegal in most cases for

residents to wash their cars in their yards, even without soap. This

measure is being considered in several cities in San Diego and Orange

counties, where even tougher water-quality laws apply. But committee

members shot down this idea, in part because they don’t think that

residential car washing is a significant source of urban runoff.

Under the current rules, residents are allowed to wash their cars

in their yards or driveways with water and, technically, even with a

little bit of soap. If there’s enough soap in the water that it’s

visible as the water runs into the street or the storm drain,

officers can issue warnings or even citations.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.