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Council enacts drought ordinance, will enforce watering restrictions starting Monday

by

Emily Featherston

Emily Featherston

Emily Featherston

Mayor Ashley Curry opened the Vestavia Hills City Council's second item of business Nov. 14 with a joke, informing citizens that if they haven't noticed, it hasn't rained in a while.

But the light-hearted reminder was soon replaced with sobering statistics from the Birmingham Water Works Board about the drought conditions the area continues to experience.

Senior representatives of the BWWB were at the meeting to relay information to the council about the state of the drought, and how the board is working through it.

Birmingham recently broke the record set in 1924 for the most consecutive days without water, and for Lake Purdy, a major BWWB reservoir, drought conditions have persisted for even longer.

While the lake is not the only water source for the area, assistant general manager of operations Darryl Jones said, it is definitely a cause for concern.

Jones explained to the council not only how the board has been encouraging customers to conserve water, but how the board itself has been altering its operations in order to relieve some of the strain on Lake Purdy. Jones said that they have reduced the demand on Lake Purdy by 30-35 million gallons, pulling that water from reservoirs in the north.

However, with forecasts indicating that the drought could continue into 2017, Jones said the BWWB is asking municipalities to enact their drought ordinances if they haven't already.

“We don’t have any policing power when it comes to enforcing water usage,” Jones said.

City Manager Jeff Downes explained that police officers will use their discretion when determining violations of the ordinance, but a violation could result in a citation and fine up to $1,000, or the equivalent of a misdemeanor.

Restrictions include the prohibition of: outdoor watering, washing automobiles other than at commercial car washes, cleaning outdoor surfaces, cleaning buildings, cleaning mechanical equipment, ornamental fountains or watering of golf courses. There are exceptions to the prohibitions, and the full text of the ordinance outlines various exceptions, and how to apply for permits in special situations.

Basically, the city's ordinance follows the directive of the BWWB's directives.

Curry said that the city wants to be helpful in doing its part to help with water conservation, and encouraged residents to contact the city with questions.

“We would do our due diligence in enforcing the law," he said. "We would be fair about it."

Other Council Business:

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