Neighborhoods Must Limit Water Use

Two St. Mary’s County neighborhoods have been placed under Level I water restrictions by the St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission and must limit their water use. Grandview Haven in Mechanicsville and the Villages at Leonardtown in Leonardtown have had an increase in water usage that is considered too high for the county.

Starting Aug. 16, 2016, residents of both communities must limit the watering for lawns, gardens, landscaped areas, trees, and shrubs to the hours of 8 pm and 7 am only. If a resident is using irrigation, the system has to be personally supervised to make sure there is no runoff or excessive watering. Residents should not expect to use water to wash paved surfaces unless they are preparing a surface for recoating or sealing.

Also as part of the Level I restriction, residents may only wash privately owned vehicles once per week, and they must be using a bucket or hand-held hose that has an automatic shut-off nozzle. If a fundraiser is being held, however, more cars can be washed at this level of restriction. MetCom recommends using commercial car washes whenever possible because they recycle the water.

The county will not issue new permits for hydrants during the restricted status.

A press release from MetCom states that the restrictions will continue until the use of water in the communities goes back down to the limits that have been set by MetCom’s Water Appropriations Permits. Those permits are issued by the Maryland Department of the Environment.

MetCom is asking that residents in both communities work to conserve this precious resource. Residents who are found to not be complying can be charged with a misdemeanor and punished by fine or termination of water service.

Visit MetCom’s website, listed above, for information on water restrictions and conservation. Details of a Level I water restriction can be found in a PDF on the site.

To learn more about St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission, visit their Leader Member page.