(a) Whenever it appears to the Mayor, or upon notice to the Mayor from the City of Cleveland, Division of Water, Department of Public Utilities, the Director of Public Safety or the Director of Public Service and Properties that a shortage of water supply exists or is imminent, which shortage threatens the public health and safety, and that such shortage makes it necessary to curtail water use within all or any part of the City, the Mayor shall proclaim a water use emergency throughout all or any part of the City.
(b) During a water use emergency, the Mayor may order a water use curtailment by prohibiting unnecessary use or consumption of water during all or specified hours of the day and/or may order that specified premises curtail unnecessary use or consumption of water on specified days only, as the Mayor determines to be necessary.
(c) A water use emergency proclamation shall specify:
(1) The geographic area affected by the water use emergency;
(2) The length of time the emergency shall be in effect, which time shall not exceed seven days; and
(3) The degree of water use curtailment.
(d) A proclamation of a water use emergency shall become effective at the time of its issuance by the Mayor. Notice thereof shall be given to a newspaper or general circulation in the City and shall be reported to local radio and television stations for broadcast.
(e) As used in this section, "unnecessary use or consumption" means the use or consumption of water for purposes other than personal health, safety, sanitation and bodily consumption. "Unnecessary use of consumption" includes, but is not limited to, sprinkling or watering lawns, other land irrigation, the washing of automobiles, houses or other structures and the use of water for recreation purposes, such as the maintenance of swimming pools. The use of water for private construction, such as the mixing and curing of concrete, the puddling of backfill in excavations, the moistening of masonry walls preparatory to painting or sealing, and other similar uses, is not an unnecessary use or consumption of water. The use of water to scrub and rinse areas, such as hard-surfaced drives, garage floors, patios and similar uses where necessary for the purpose of sanitation and the protection of health, is not an unnecessary use and consumption of water. The use of water by means not directly connected to the water supply for sprinkling vegetable gardens or flower gardens is not an unnecessary use and consumption of water.
(f) No person shall, during a water use emergency, use water in violation of the terms and conditions of the Mayor's water use emergency proclamation.
(Ord. 1981-149. Passed 10-21-81; Ord. 09-119. Passed 11-17-09.)