Business owners question water ban exemptions - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

There is confusion over who must obey the new watering restrictions around central Indiana, which carry some very expensive fines.

The law restricts people from watering lawns and washing cars, but there are some exemptions that are causing trouble, costing people a lot of money and possibly their jobs.

In Fishers Monday, lawn sprinklers stopped just hours after the town closed the tap on lawn watering.

"It'll come back. I'm not worried about the yard. It will come back," said homeowner Anna Spitznogle.

The drought comes at a bad time at Spitznogle's house, where they are trying to regrow grass.

"This is nothing," she says, compared to the plight of the farmers.

For homeowners, the rules are cut and dry - no lawn watering. But for businesses, there are four exceptions: golf courses, nurseries, commercial car washes and city parks, where water is essential to business.

"We depend on the water. It's heartbreaking news. I don't understand the logic behind it," said Danny Spiczenski, co-owner of Indiana Roof Cleaning.

He's upset over the rule that says outdoor pressure washing companies cannot operate in Indianapolis now, while those four other water users can.

"If a golf course, they turn off their water, it burns up. They lose money and for us, we can't use water. We have to shut our doors. We can't operate," Spiczenski said. "We should all be in this together."

He and other cleaners called the city Monday. Two told Eyewitness News they were advised they could use water, because it was essential to their business. But later Monday, the city told us no, that only those four businesses already exempt in the law can water.

"There probably is a slippery slope when it comes to exemptions, but hopefully these types of companies, once the water ban is lifted, will be able to return to operation," said Kate Johnson, Indianapolis Department of Code Enforcement.

But if Spiczenski drives his truck to Fishers for roof cleaning work, which he often does, things COULD be different.

"If there's a business that it truly hurt by that and does not consume a great deal of water, we'll have to take a look at that and we'll deal with those in one-off occasions," said Fishers Town Manager Scott Fadness. "We're just trying to be sensitive and adapt to the needs of the business community."

Contracts should check with code enforcement officers in Fishers and other cities and towns before starting work, in order to avoid fines.

"We've got a lot of guys with families. They depend on us to work. Lets all pray for rain," Spiczenski said.