James City County Outdoor Water Use Ordinance

July 24, 2002* The Ordinance will be in effect yearly, from May 1 through September 30.

* Hours of outdoor water use are extended by one hour in the morning, allowing customers to use water outdoors on their allotted day from midnight to 9 a.m. The previous ordinance only allowed outdoor water use until 8 a.m.

* Customers may use a hose with an automatic shutoff nozzle at any time and are not required to follow the odd/even or time of day schedule.

* JCSA customers with house addresses ending in odd numbers (i.e. 101 Main Street) will be able to use water outdoors on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays between the hours of midnight and 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and midnight.

* JCSA customers with even numbered addresses (i.e. 102 Main Street) can use water outdoors on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays between the hours of midnight and 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and midnight.

* To allow for system recovery, no outdoor water use is allowed between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., or on Mondays.

* Violation of the Ordinance is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $2,500. Violators will receive one warning before being reported to County Police.

* Customers can apply for a one-time exemption for the establishment of new turf for sixty days from the time of seeding or sod installation in order to allow the turf to become well established. Customers must apply for a new lawn exemption by submitting a written request to the JCSA.

* A nursery business may water nursery stock or plant material on their property.

* Businesses that perform pressure washing as part of their services are exempt.

County residents who have private wells or who are customers of Newport News Waterworks are not affected by this ordinance, but the JCSA encourages all citizens to follow the odd/even guidelines.

For more information, residents may call the Outdoor Watering Information Line at 757-259-4152 for a recorded message, or JCSA Customer Service at 757-253-6800.