Los Gatos To Cut Back On Parks Irrigation, Reduce Fountain Hours

LOS GATOS, CA — Los Gatos plans to cut back on irrigation throughout its parks and reduce fountain hours by half in response to the local drought emergency declared last month in Santa Clara County.

The water district had recommended at a meeting June 9 that the county declare a local emergency and implement mandatory water restrictions to accomplish a 15 percent reduction in water use from 2019 — or 33 percent of 2013 water use — along with proposed restrictions that include caps on using potable water for outdoor landscaping and irrigation and washing cars and structures.

Los Gatos said on its website that it will divide parks into three areas. One area will not receive irrigation, the second area will receive limited irrigation and the third area will receive “slightly more water” to keep the turf usable. Signs at each park will display the amount of reduction.

The hours for town fountains will be cut in half, operating between noon and 3 p.m. Medians will also be reduced and monitored, according to the town.

The town also applied for a survey to evaluate its current irrigation system, and it will not be increasing irrigation over the summer — as it typically does — to support its plants program.

Click here for more on Los Gatos’ efforts to fight the drought.

Related:

• Water Shortage Emergency Declared In Santa Clara County
• Local Emergency Due To Drought Declared In Santa Clara County