Mandatory watering restrictions take effect Friday for Indy - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Starting at noon Friday (July 13), Indianapolis will be under mandatory watering restrictions. That includes a ban on lawn watering, though customers with wells are exempt.

After a request from Citizens Water, Mayor Greg Ballard issued an executive order Wednesday declaring a water shortage warning in Marion County. The restrictions apply to residents in all of Marion County except Lawrence and Speedway, which operate their own water systems.

Voluntary restrictions remain in place until the mandatory water use restrictions take effect.

There is only one reason water is standing alongside the road - people are soaking their yards one last time.

"Hit it hard the next couple of days, yeah," said Justin Cooper.

Cooper's nice green lawn shows he has been running the sprinkler. The sprinklers are on a timer, and Cooper says he has too much invested to just let it dry up, but says he does feel a little guilty watering while others have voluntarily stopped.

"I try to be fairly conscientious of the environment when I can," said Cooper, who says he recycles when he can. "But I guess water conservation has not made the top of my list yet."

Now the city has gone from a request to a demand.

Despite pleas from Citizens Energy Group for homeowners and businesses to stop watering lawns, water usage continues to reach record levels. Records were broken twice last month.  According to Citizens Energy, 40 percent comes from lawn watering.  So once the ban goes into effect, don't expect it to be lifted anytime soon. 

"I think right now it's safe to say that Indianapolis is going to be under this ban for the foreseeable future," said Citizens spokesperson Sarah Holsapple. "We would need a lot of rainfall. We would need a decrease in usage in order for this to be lifted.  If all of that happens, of course we will consider lifting it. Our goal is not to inconvenience customers. Our goal is to protect this valuable resource."

While the ban targets lawn watering and car washing at home, there are some important exceptions for homeowners.  If you have some shrubs around your house, flowers or vegetable gardens, you can continue to water them, just use a hose with a shut off valve or a watering can. 

See the executive order here

More from Citizens Water:

"Last Friday, Citizens asked customers to stop watering their lawns for one week, on a voluntary basis," said Carey Lykins President and CEO of Citizens Water. "While we've seen positive results from that request, water usage still remains much higher than average and reservoir levels continue to drop. Mandatory water restrictions are now necessary to maintain proper water pressure and to ensure adequate water supplies for all Central Indiana customers throughout the summer."

Customers should be aware during a water shortage warning, the following actions are unlawful under the Marion County Water Conservation Ordinance (Chapter 706).

• Sprinkling, watering, or irrigating of grass;
• Washing cars, trucks, trailers, and mobile homes except at commercial car washes (see exemptions below)
• Washing railroad cars or any other type of mobile equipment, except as required by applicable local, state, or federal law for health or safety reasons;
• Using water to clean sidewalks, driveways, paved areas, structures, buildings, or other outdoor surfaces;
• Filling empty swimming pools;
• Installing new landscaping or new lawn by using sod until return to normal conditions are declared by the mayor;
• Using hydrants except for fire suppression or as otherwise directed by Citizen's Energy Group; and
• Operating water fountains that are non-recycling.

Exception:

• Vegetable gardens and flowers may be watered by container or hand-held hose equipped with a shutoff nozzle. It is also permissible to water trees less than five years old.

Exemptions:

The following water users and water uses shall be exempt from the prohibitions noted above:

• Nurseries
• Automatic commercial car washes
• Manual commercial car washes
• Golf courses
• Parks
• Customers with wells

Violations:

Water Conservation Penalties are as follows:

• First violation in twelve-month period = $100
• Second violation in twelve-month period = $250
• Third violation in twelve-month period = not less than $500
• Fourth violation in twelve-month period = up to $2500 per day per violation