As the city of Carlsbad enters stage two of the drought, the water regulations are becoming much tighter. With mandatory restrictions for the Carlsbad residents, citizens are facing restrictions on irrigation, washing, fountains and leaks.

“The main concern is people are using too much water and they do not think the drought is as bad as it is, so they are not cutting back on their plants,” senior C.P. Marine Science student Meghan Decker said.

For home addresses ending in odd numbers, watering is permitted on Tuesdays and Fridays between the hours of 6 p.m. and 10 a.m., while even numbered addresses may only water on Mondays and Thursdays. In order to waste the least amount of water, sprinklers are only  allowed to run for a maximum eight minutes, and in order to avoid runoff the time should be split with half in the morning and the other half in the evening.

Hard surfaces such as driveways, patios, sidewalks and parking lots should not be watered down with a hose unless it is for sanitation or safety purposes. Decorative fountains must use recirculated water in order to further conserve water. Lastly, water leaks need to be repaired at the latest 72 hours within the time the water district provided notification.

“Most sprinkler systems are inefficient and when broken, waste gallons of water before they are fixed, just another reason we should find alternatives that do not waste as much water,” senior A.P. Environmental Science student Kari Rogers said.

The water regulations and time limits only apply to devices that are not water efficient. If using a hand held hose watering is allowed at any time as long as it is equipped with a positive shut-off nozzle or a bucket. Also, the watering of livestock is allowed at any time.

“Water conservation is important because if we do not conserve water it will be harder to get out of the drought and we will be in a drought a longer amount of time,” Decker said.

When washing a vehicle at home a bucket needs to be used as well as a hose with a shut-off nozzle.

“Our state is in a very severe drought, and if simple things such as checking for leaks in pipes and shortening shower times by a few minutes can help end the drought, then they should be done,” Rogers said.

Remember Carlsbad, conserving water is everyone’s responsibility.