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Watering Rules
A message from Brad Hill, the Flagstaff Water Services Director: (June 15th, 2018)
"The City of Flagstaff is always in Stage 1 Water Restrictions: Water Awareness. The purpose of this stage is to limit outdoor watering to odd/even days and prohibit the wasting of water by our customers. Our Water Conservation program spends quite a bit of effort educating the public on how to be water conscious and use our water wisely on a daily basis. The City of Flagstaff has multiple water supplies (groundwater, surface water, & reclaimed water) which helps to provide redundancy. We are currently delivering 10 million gallons of drinking water per day with ~28% coming from Upper Lake Mary and the remainder from our multitude of groundwater wells. Reclaimed water is a significant supply for outdoor irrigation this time of year (i.e., parks, schools, golf courses, etc). Because of our community’s culture of conservation and the variety of water supplies we manage, we do not anticipate a need in the near future to implement additional temporary water restrictions."
We are currently in Water Availability Strategy I: Water Awareness
Drought Preparedness - Water Availability Strategies
Strategy Level I
Water Awareness:
This is in effect when water demand is equal to or less than safe water production capability*
- Odd-numbered addresses may irrigate Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
- Even-numbered addresses may irrigate Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
- No irrigation on Mondays.
- No irrigation is allowed between 9 am and 5 pm.
- Incidental hand watering is allowed daily except between 9 am and 5 pm. Hand watering requires that the conveyance (hose, bucket, etc.) be in hand for the duration of a watering session; hoses
running freely or sprinklers attached to hoses are not considered hand watering. - Vehicle washing is allowed; A hose with a spray-control nozzle (available for free from the Water Conservation office!) and
bucket is encouraged to reduce unnecessary run-off into the street
We are currently in Water Availability Strategy I: Water Awareness
Drought Preparedness - Water Availability Strategies
Strategy Level I
Water Awareness:
This is in effect when water demand is equal to or less than safe water production capability*
- Odd-numbered addresses may irrigate Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
- Even-numbered addresses may irrigate Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
- No irrigation on Mondays.
- No irrigation is allowed between 9 am and 5 pm.
- Incidental hand watering is allowed daily except between 9 am and 5 pm. Hand watering requires that the conveyance (hose, bucket, etc.) be in hand for the duration of a watering session; hoses
running freely or sprinklers attached to hoses are not considered hand watering. - Vehicle washing is allowed; A hose with a spray-control nozzle (available for free from the Water Conservation office!) and
bucket is encouraged to reduce unnecessary run-off into the street
We are currently in Water Availability Strategy I: Water Awareness
Drought Preparedness - Water Availability Strategies
Strategy Level I
Water Awareness:
This is in effect when water demand is equal to or less than safe water production capability*
- Odd-numbered addresses may irrigate Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
- Even-numbered addresses may irrigate Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
- No irrigation on Mondays.
- No irrigation is allowed between 9 am and 5 pm.
- Incidental hand watering is allowed daily except between 9 am and 5 pm. Hand watering requires that the conveyance (hose, bucket, etc.) be in hand for the duration of a watering session; hoses
running freely or sprinklers attached to hoses are not considered hand watering. - Vehicle washing is allowed; A hose with a spray-control nozzle (available for free from the Water Conservation office!) and
bucket is encouraged to reduce unnecessary run-off into the street
Strategy Level II Water Emergency:
This is in effect when water demand exceeds safe production capability* for five consecutive days
- In addition to the restrictions in Level I, no irrigating is permitted.
- Vehicle washing is allowed only for commercial car washes and for public health and safety.
- Washing driveways, sidewalks, and tennis courts is not allowed.
- No potable water can be used for filling ornamental fountains, artificial ponds, or streams.
- Recreational swimming pools, spas, or wading pools holding more than 100 gallons cannot be filled.
- Rates for water increase over 6,401 gallons.
- Potable water standpipe rates increase to 130% of established rate. Standpipe use is limited to within 25-mile radius of City Hall.
Strategy Level III: Water Crisis:
This is in effect when water demand exceeds total production capability, and the amount of water in storage may impair fire protection for the City
- No potable water use outside.
*Safe Production Capability means 90% of the total water resources available (measured in millions of gallons per day, and based on potable water production and distribution)
Noncompliance could result in a $25 (Strategy I), $50 (Strategy II), and $100 (Strategy II) fee assessed to your water bill. This fee doubles with each repeat violation.
View the City of Flagstaff’s water conservation code 7-03-001-0014 here
Noncompliance could result in a $25 (Strategy I), $50 (Strategy II), and $100 (Strategy II) fee assessed to your water bill. This fee doubles with each repeat violation.
View the City of Flagstaff’s water conservation code 7-03-001-0014 here
To report a Watering Rules Violation - call (928) 213-2116
Special Permits & Provisions
Landscape establishment watering permits are available from the Water Services Office. They authorize daily irrigation for a maximum of 30 days to establish new landscapes. There is a $10 fee, and we require proof of new landscaping, in the form of a purchase receipt or landscaper’s design plan. Call (928) 213-2407 or email us at savewater@flagstaffaz.gov.
Commercial provisions are available for businesses that require daily outdoor water use for the business to succeed, such as landscape nurseries. Requests for a commercial provision must be made in writing to the Water Services Director. Commercial provisions will not be approved for aesthetic landscaping.