Drought Response Committee Meets Tomorrow in South Carolina

By: Kathryn Foessel | WSPA-TV
Published: August 04, 2008

We could see more mandatory water restrictions when the state's drought response committee meets Tuesday. The panel will review water levels and decide what to do next. Last week, SJWD Water District announced mandatory restrictions. It bans people from washing cars, watering lawns and filling pools. At its last meeting in June, the committee upgraded the drought status to extreme for areas of the Upstate including Cherokee, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens and Spartanburg Counties. Voluntary water restriction are in place for Greer and customers of the Spartanburg Water System.

Here is the release from SJWD that was sent out last week.

Spartanburg County, July 31, 2008 - Due to the extreme conditions of the drought sweeping across the Upstate, the Commissioners of the SJWD Water District have implemented mandatory water restrictions. Effective July 31, 2008, the following examples of non-essential water usage are now prohibited until further notice:
•Sprinkling lawns, plants, trees, and other flora on private or public property including adjoining property owners on our reservoirs
•Filling or maintaining public or private swimming pools
•Washing any motor bike, vehicle, boat, trailer, airplane or other vehicle in public or private garages or elsewhere
•Maintaining fountains or decorative water bodies for aesthetic or scenic purposes, except where necessary to support aquatic life
•Washing sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, or other hard surfaced areas
•Washing buildings or structures for any reason other than fire protection
•Flushing gutters or permitting water to run or accumulate in any gutter or street
Failure to comply with the above mandatory restrictions will be subject to surcharges and/or disconnection of water service. Any variation of the restrictions requires written approval by the SJWD Water District Executive Director, Mike Caston. SJWD Water District appreciates everyone's cooperation in effort to conserve the Upstate's water supply. For questions or concerns please contact customer service at (864) 439-4423 or visit our website .

Conserving water should be a year round practice, not just a reaction to a critical situation. SJWD Water District would like to offer the following tips from the Department of Natural Resources for water conservation in your home all year long.

CONSERVE WATER IN THE HOUSE:
•Turn off water while brushing teeth and shaving.
•Take shorter showers.
•Install a water-efficient showerhead (2.5 gallons or less per minute).
•Use less water in the bathtub. Filling the tub uses about 50 gallons of water. Try bathing in about 10 gallons. Plug the tub when you shower to see how much water is just going down the drain.
•Wash only full loads of dishes in dishwasher. A dishwasher uses about 14 gallons of water per load.
•When you buy a new toilet, purchase a low flow model (1.6 gallons or less per flush).
•Check your toilet for "silent" leaks by placing a little food coloring in the tank and seeing if it leaks into the bowl.
•Avoid using the toilet as a trash basket for facial tissues and similar items. Each flush uses 5 to 7 gallons of water.
•Reduce the use of garbage disposals, which use as much as 2 gallons of water per minute, by peeling vegetables, eggs and other foods on newspapers. Wrap the food waste and dispose of it with the trash. Or, use food waste in a garden compost pile.
•Keep a gallon of drinking water in the refrigerator rather than running the tap for cold water.
•Run your washing machine with a full load of clothes. Match your washer's load selector to each load size. Wash with warm water instead of hot, rinse with cold water instead of warm. Wash with cold water when you can. (When possible) hang your wash out to dry.
•Buy an energy-saving washing machine. Buy an Energy Star model and save water and electricity.
•Use a front-loading washing machine. The newest innovation in washers is the front-loading washing machine. These save even more water and electricity.
•Teach children to turn water faucets off tightly after use.

CONSERVE WATER OUTSIDE THE HOUSE:
•Use drought-tolerant plants and grasses for landscaping and reduce grass-covered areas.
•Cut your grass at least three inches high to shade the roots, making it more drought-tolerant; keep your mower sharp for the healthiest grass.
•Mulch to retain water. Spread leaves, lawn clippings, or landscaping tarps around plants. Mulching also controls weeds that compete with garden plants for water.
•If you use porous pavement (gravel is a good example) instead of asphalt for driveways and walkways, the rain can recharge groundwater supplies instead of running off and contributing to erosion.
•Use a broom instead of a hose to clean off your driveway or sidewalk.

FINES FOR WASTING WATER For the first offense, a warning will be issued. A second offense is a $50 fine. A third, $100. Fourth, $500 and possible turning off water.
For more information, go to the SJWD Web Site .