(A) Upon notification by the Drought Response Committee that a severe drought condition is present and is expected to persist and/or upon determination by the city that a severe water supply shortage exists based on trigger levels, city will seek voluntary reduction in the use of water for all purposes and mandatory restrictions on non-essential usage and restrictions on times when certain water usage is allowed. Specifically, the goal during this phase is to achieve a reduction of 25% in residential water use, 20% in all other water use categories, and a reduction in overall water use of 20%.
(B) To accomplish these goals, the city will take the following actions:
(1) Issue a Proclamation to be released to the local media, city’s customers and to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Drought Information Center that severe drought conditions are present;
(2) Provide written notification to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Drought Information Center and routinely publish in a newspaper of general circulation in the service area of the water system the voluntary conservation measures and mandatory restrictions to be placed on the use of water supplied by the utility, including:
(a) Voluntary reduction of residential water use by the utility’s customers to 65 gallons per person per day and a maximum of 250 gallons per household or REU per day;
(b) Control landscape irrigation by the utility’s customers by staggering watering times;
(c) Mandatory restrictions on the use of water supplied by the utility for activities including:
1. Eliminate the washing down of sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts and other hard surfaced areas;
2. Eliminate the washing down of buildings for purposes other than immediate fire protection;
3. Eliminate the flushing of gutters;
4. Eliminate domestic washing of motorbikes, boats, cars, and the like;
5. Eliminate the use of water to maintain fountains, reflection ponds and decorative water bodies for aesthetic or scenic purposes, except where necessary to support aquatic life;
6. Eliminate filling or maintaining public or private swimming pools;
7. Eliminate obtaining water from fire hydrants for construction purposes, fire drills or any purpose other than fire-fighting or flushing necessary to maintain water quality; and
(d) Limit use of water by commercial and individual customers including, but not limited to, the following:
1. Stop serving water in addition to another beverage routinely in restaurants;
2. Stop maintaining water levels in scenic and recreational ponds and lakes, except for the minimum amount required to support aquatic life;
3. Limit irrigating golf courses and any portion of its grounds;
4. Cease water service to customers who have been given a ten-day notice to repair one or more leaks and have failed to do so; and
5. Limit expanding commercial nursery facilities, placing new irrigated agricultural land in production or planting or landscaping when required by site design review process.
(3) Intensify maintenance efforts to identify and correct water leaks in the distribution system;
(4) Continue to cease installation of new irrigation taps on the water system;
(5) Publicize widely the penalties to be imposed for violations of mandatory restrictions and the procedures to be followed if a variance in the restrictions is requested;
(6) Expand the use of education and public relations efforts and emphasize the penalties associated with violating the mandatory restrictions;
(7) Provide written notification monthly to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Drought Information Center regarding the success of the voluntary and mandatory restrictions.
(Ord. 29-03, passed 10-14-03)