Watering restrictions are officially in effect for many New Mexicans.
Starting Wednesday, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority customers are prohibited from using sprinklers between 11a and 7p.
Katherine Yuhas, Water Conservation Officer at the utility, said predictions for a moist spring and summer mean they could bank water in the aquifer by leaving it in the ground instead of pumping it.
“If we all turned off our sprinkler systems just for one day when it rained,” Yuhas said, “we could save 40 million gallons of water in one day. It would be a fabulous thing to do!”
During the heat of the day most of the water from sprinklers evaporates before it reaches plants. If a customer is caught using sprinklers during off hours between now and Halloween, they will be fined up to $2000.
Similar restrictions are being enacted in cities across the state.
