Wasco passes water conservation ordinance

Wasco passes water conservation ordinance
Wasco resident Maria Paredes waters her lawn once a week to the point of saturation and there is water runoff into the gutter. Under a new water conservation ordinance passed by the Wasco city council, that's a no-no.

"The purpose is to promote water conservation," said Wasco assistant city manager Jim Zervis.

Citing the fact California is in a third straight year of a drought, Wasco becomes the second city in Kern County after Delano to adopt such an ordinance. And it joins a growing number of other California cities to adopt such a measure.

The ordinance has four stages of water conservation. It runs the gamut from putting a prohibition on wasting water to mandatory compliance depending on the intensity of the situation.

For example, residents who live on even numbered addresses will only be able to water outside or wash their cars on certain days of the week, as will people who live on odd numbered addresses.

The ordinance starts on a voluntary basis but it can be mandatory if the city council decides to implement it in such a way.

"There's pros and cons, but I do think we need to conserve water," said Wasco resident Janice Tackett.

With the ordinance in place, it's now up to the Wasco city council to decide when the ordinance will go into effect.

A violation of the ordinance is a misdemeanor and a person could be fined for a violation.