Natural Perspectives:

This change has been written on the wall for a long time. The writing was faint, but we could see it. A growing population plus a dwindling water supply add up to bad news. The City Council passed a new water restriction ordinance in November that will go into effect Jan. 6. That’s less than two weeks from now.

The ordinance includes:

 Irrigation of lawns/landscaping is prohibited between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

 Irrigation is limited to a maximum of 15 minutes per day per station.

 When washing vehicles, you must either use a bucket or a hose with a positive self-closing water shut-off nozzle.

 Installation of single-pass cooling systems is prohibited.

 Excessive water flow runoff is prohibited.

 Washing paved surfaces is prohibited.

 Leaks, breaks or malfunctions must be fixed within seven days of notification.

 Water fountains or decorative water features must use recirculation systems.

 Restaurants must use water-conserving dishwashing spray valves.

 Restaurants may serve water only upon request.

The council also declared a Level 1 water supply shortage, which put into effect the following new regulations as of Jan. 6. Watering is limited to three days a week from April through October, and only one day a week from November through March. That means you can water for only 15 minutes a day, one day a week, and between only 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. from now until March 30. If you have automatic sprinklers, be sure to set them to comply with these new regulations.

Another feature of Level 1 water supply shortage rules is a shortening of the time that you have to make repairs to leaky faucets. Instead of a week, leaks should be repaired within 72 hours.

The whole point of these rules is to conserve water. But there are many ways of skinning that cat. For example, we can all turn off the water while brushing our teeth, wash clothes only when there is a full load (being sure to use water levels appropriate to the size of the load) and washing dishes only when there is a full load. Other ways are to take short showers, or even a “Navy shower,” which means turning the water off between the first wetting and rinsing off the soap.

Another water-saving tip is to not turn the tap on as full as it goes when brushing teeth, washing produce in the kitchen or showering. You can insert flow restrictors in faucets, which is especially useful if you have children in the household. We just don’t turn the faucets on full blast. In fact, I’ve taken to using just a trickle for many purposes, such as washing my hands.

Vic installed low-flow toilets in both our bathrooms. A standard toilet uses about 10 gallons of water per flush. Our low-flow toilets use only 1.6 gallons. There are ultra-low-flow toilets that use even less water. And in times of water supply shortages, you might even think about not flushing after every use. There is a little ditty that goes, “In this land of sun and fun, we don’t flush for No. 1.” There are similar ditties that are a tad more graphic, so I won’t repeat them here.

But the place that homeowners can save the greatest amount of water is outdoors. There was never a better time to kill your lawn, which uses a whopping 52 inches of water a year. Next to uncovered swimming pools, grass lawns are the biggest water-wasters in town. Better alternatives are drought-tolerant zoysia (Korea grass), water-permeable hardscape and succulents, California native plants or other drought-tolerant plants.

Vic and I have recently added several rain barrels to our yard. This is a work in progress for us, as the main collection system still isn’t hooked up to our new gutter and downspout. However, we bought a new style of rain barrel from Orchard Supply Hardware a couple of weeks ago and placed it under a spot next to the chimney where it can collect rain dripping off the roof. The promotional price on this new item was $89, a real bargain compared to some styles of rain barrel available on the Internet for $200 and more.

I was thrilled to find an item actually made in America. This 50-gallon rain barrel is made by Suncast, which is based in Illinois. The container is not in the shape of a barrel, but is square. It has a screen on top to keep out debris and mosquitoes, a hose to drain the water out for use in the garden and an overflow hose that can be directed away from the house. The lid fits tightly, which keeps pets and children from falling in.

We also bought several 20-gallon trash containers made by Rubbermaid to collect rain. I put two under the eaves and one under the roof of the chicken coop. All three filled to the top and overflowed with our last series of storms. All in all, I collected nearly 100 gallons of rainwater to use in the garden. Once I finish hooking a couple of rain barrels in series to our downspout, I should be able to collect and store up to 250 gallons. Given that we use on average about 100 gallons of water a day, that’s a mere “drop in the bucket.” But it’s a start. Other cities have faced water restrictions and coped with the change. We’re sure that our eco-minded citizens will rise to the occasion and conserve beyond expectations. We’re one of the best cities in the state for recycling bottles, cans, paper, cardboard and plastic. Let’s see if we can be the best in the state with water conservation as well.

VIC LEIPZIG and LOU MURRAY are Huntington Beach residents and environmentalists. They can be reached at LMurrayPhD@gmail.com .