SEAL BEACH : City Delays Start of Water Limits

The City Council on Monday delayed implementing the second stage of a water-reduction plan after ruling that proposed limits on hours for washing cars were too stringent.

The second stage of the plan would have prohibited washing cars between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Councilwoman Marilyn Bruce Hastings said residents should not be forced to rise at dawn or wait until after 6 p.m. to wash their autos.

The council ordered its staff to revise the second stage with more reasonable car-washing hours and report back.

As it stands now, the second stage of the reduction plan will allow watering lawns and golf courses, irrigating landscapes, and filling swimming pools, spas or ponds only from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. In addition, residents will be prohibited from hosing down sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, tennis courts, patios or other paved areas, and the operation of ornamental fountains will be banned.

In the second stage, compliance with the regulations is voluntary. Although violating the restrictions is a misdemeanor, Bankston said it is unlikely that the city will prosecute offenders.

Along with the revised second-stage plan, staff members will present figures on recent water consumption in the city.

City Manager Jerry L. Bankston said that while there are no current figures showing how much customers cut back on water usage during the first stage of the plan, there has been a drop in the water level in city wells.

“This occurs in the summertime quite frequently, and when this happens we get water from Metropolitan Water District,” Mayor Frank Laszlo said.

So far this year, the MWD has not allowed water purchases.