Taking off some of the pressure

Re “Sprinkling less, gushing more,” Sept. 19

The Times reports that some experts outside the DWP indicate that two-day-a-week watering of gardens may have contributed to the increase in water mains breaking.

Before this, homeowners spread the load over seven days.

If this conjecture is correct, it illustrates the folly of bureaucrats trying to micromanage how we use water.

Instead of telling us how to use water, they should merely tell us how much water we can use. Then, if we use more, we should pay a penalty price for the excess amount.

In the meantime, whatever amount of water that might have been saved by restricting garden watering has been exceeded by the water wasted by broken water mains.

David E. Ross

Oak Park

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I agree with the theory that our imposed watering restrictions may be the culprit behind a rash of recent water main breaks because of changing pressures at certain times.

And what makes matters worse is that as one section of piping is replaced, excessive strain is transferred to nearby weaker fittings.

There is a solution to the problem: Just as we have alternate-side-of-the-street parking regulations, perhaps we should have alternate-side-of-the-street watering regulations.

Alan Linsky

Beverly Hills

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If all of the houses with odd-number addresses were permitted to water the lawns on Mondays and Thursdays, and those with an even number on Tuesdays and Fridays, it should reduce the sudden surge in stress on the aging pipes.

In the meantime, why not explore the possibility of getting some of the federal stimulus money to replace those pipes?

This will help solve our record unemployment problem as well.

John T. Chiu

Newport Beach