Page One

When EBMUD director Andy Katz spoke to the City Council early in the year, he urged councilmembers and residents to conserve water, given the East Bay Municipal Utility District pipeline retrofit that affected the amount of available water from December through the end of February.  

Katz’ presentation was brief and no action was asked of the council. Around that time, residents got postcards and robo-calls from EBMUD reminding them to refrain from watering lawns or washing cars 

And last week, Associated Press reported that the Sierra snow pack is at its lowest level in nearly two decades. Fearing drought, Santa Cruz is restricting water use beginning May 1. EBMUD will likely ask for residents’ conservation efforts again. 

A large piece left out of the water conservation effort, however, appears to be the city itself, with its 52 parks and miles of median strips.  

For example, with a rainstorm forecast for Monday March 26 and dark clouds hanging over the city, the Planet observed on March 25 that there was water spilling over the curb and rushing west on Center Street next to the grassy strip near the city administration building. The water was first observed around noon; the water continued to roll down the street without letup when it was observed for the second time the same day about 1:30 p.m.  

Another spot to observe wayward watering is along the Sacramento Street medians.  

Was the city asked to conserve water during the retrofit? Why do sprinklers regularly flood the streets and sidewalks and why is watering done at all when rain is predicted?  

In the absence of the Parks and Recreation Department director—out of the office on both Friday and Monday—the Planet contacted Maron, landscape supervisor in Mobile Unit 2.  

Maron said EBMUD never asked the city to conserve water during the retrofit. This was confirmed by EBMUD spokesperson Charles Hardy, who said he recalled that EBMUD worked with the university and with the Berkeley School District, but he did not recall hearing of special efforts to get the city to conserve during that time. 

“We’re very concerned about saving water in a low-water year,” Maron told the Planet Friday. The small crew watches the weather and tries to turn off the automatic clocks, he said, acknowledging that it does not always happen.  

Water flows into the streets and onto the sidewalks when a sprinkler head gets turned around, he said. “Sometimes it gets hit by an edger. The only way we find out is when people call to complain,” he said, adding that there is a very small staff to take care of all the parks and medians in the city. 

Berkeley taxpayers pay for landscaping—that includes water use on landscape, Maron said.  

Councilmember Dona Spring, acting mayor while Mayor Tom Bates is on vacation, said she would ask the city manager for a recalibration of the sprinklers so that over-watering does not continue. 

To report city water usage problems, call Maron at 644-6566 ext. 5. (That is the same number one calls to volunteer in the parks, Maron said.)