In Stage 2 of the City of Norman-adopted Water Conservation Plan, the following rules and regulations apply:
For residential customers
• All outdoor watering or irrigation is prohibited between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
• Odd/even water restrictions (house addresses that end with an even number water on even-numbered calendar days; house addresses that end with an odd number water on odd-numbered calendar days) for irrigation purposes are required for all customers with no watering on Wednesday and Thursday of each week. The first days with no watering restriction will be Aug. 8 and 9. Hand watering gardens/plants/shrubs with a hose is allowed at any time. The 31st day of the month is not included in the odd/even water rotation, but conservation is urged.
• Excess water run-off from any landscaped area onto streets is prohibited whether by design, maladjustment to sprinkler system or usage during high winds.
• Washing of cars, trucks, trailers or other vehicles is prohibited unless taken to a commercial carwash.
• Washing or hosing down of buildings, sidewalks, driveways, patios, porches, parking areas or any paved surface is prohibited.
For commercial customers
• All residential watering and irrigation restrictions noted above apply.
• Developers and commercial enterprises must wait until the current water emergency has passed before establishing any new landscaping.
For the City of Norman
• The city will follow the same watering conservation rules as the public.
• City splash pad operation hours will be reduced by two hours each day.
• Eliminate non-essential city water use (e.g. street cleaning, vehicle washing, flushing of water mains, fire hydrant testing, etc.).
Additional information
• The conservation measures apply to City of Norman water customers. Those residents with private wells are not subject to the city's conservation rules.
• The mandatory conservation stage will be lifted by notice from the city manager’s office. Notification will be in the newspaper and on the city website.
• Violating or ignoring the mandatory conservation rules may result in enforcement action as set in the City of Norman Code of Ordinances 21-501. Violations are considered a misdemeanor and punishable with fines not less than $50 or more than $750 per violation.
• For more information about the Water Conservation Plan and to read the conservation plan in full, click here.
The City of Norman instituted a moderate conservation plan Wednesday because of a significant increase in water use and little chance of immediate rainfall.
When local water use exceeds the city’s water supply capacity by more than 3 million gallons per day, it triggers the mandatory water conservation plan, according to a city press release.
“The goal of ‘moderate mandatory conservation’ is to accomplish a significant reduction in the water demand to more closely match the supply capabilities of the city,” Norman city manager Steve Lewis said in a press release.
Lewis said the U.S. Drought Monitor Report indicates severe to extreme drought for at least 64 percent of Oklahoma to be in severe drought.
The outlook is for drought to persist or intensify over much of the U.S. — including Oklahoma — through at least the next couple of weeks, Lewis said.
Cleveland County also is included in the current county-declared burn bans in the state, making it illegal to burn a campfire, bon fire or burn trash, among other things.
The university landscape office has not yet responded with how they will comply with the conservation plan.
