Water Curtailment

What to expect during water curtailment
There are four stages to water curtailment.  Each stage restricts the maximum amount of water allowed through the water meter assigned to each water customer.  During water curtailment Stages 1, 2, and 3 customers that use more than the allowed maximum amount of water per billing period will pay a surcharge of four times the rate for water delivered above the maximum allowed.  During Stage 4 curtailment, water customers that exceed the allowed amount will pay a surcharge of ten times the rate for water delivered above the maximum allowed.

For example: in Stage 1 water curtailment, a household with  ¾ or 1 inch meters (the most common meter sizes) is allowed 3,600 cubic feet (26,928 gallons) of water per billing cycle.  If a customer uses over 3,600 cubic feet of water, they will be charged $0.22 per cubic foot compared to the non curtailment rate of $.05 per cubic foot.
  • 3,600 cubic feet of water multiplied by 7.48 = 26,928 gallons of water. (There are 7.48 gallons in a cubic foot).
Category Meter Size Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4
    Cu.ft./ Gallons Cu.ft./Gallons Cu.ft./Gallons Cu.ft./Gallons
Residential 0.75/1"  3.600/26,928 2,500/18,700 1,800/13,464 900/6,732
 
In addition, the following restrictions apply during curtailment:
  • Don’t use water to irrigate between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
  • Don’t allow water to run off onto streets, sidewalks, driveways or adjacent property for more than five minutes.
  • Don’t use water to wash sidewalk, walkways or other hard surfaces expect where necessary for public health or safety.
  • Don’t allow water to escape from breaks within a plumbing system.
  • Don’t use water to wash cars, boats, trailers, aircraft or other vehicles by hose without using a shutoff nozzle.
  • Don’t serve drinking water in restaurants, hotels, cafes, or other public places unless requested by the customer.
  • Don’t use water to clean, fill or maintain decorative fountains, ponds etc. unless the water is re-circulated.
  • Don’t use water for dust control, or washing building.
  • Except for purposes of building construction, don’t use water for compaction, dust control, cleaning or wetting or washing a building (except in preparation for painting).
  • Don’t use water to fill swimming pools or for filling toy, play or other pools with a capacity in excess of 100 gallons.
In Ashland, summer water use is approximately five times higher than in the winter, mainly due to landscape irrigation and other outdoor uses.  Adjusting irrigation system control timers throughout the summer to water based on daily and weekly weather conditions can significantly reduce the amount of water consumed.  The City’s Conservation Division offers irrigation system tips as well as other water conservation resources, including free irrigation system evaluations.  To schedule an appointment with the City’s Water Conservation Specialist, go to www.ashland.or.us/conserve.

If you have further questions, please call our drought hotline number at 541-552-2431

Online City Services

UTILITIES-Connect/Disconnect,
Pay your bill & more 
Connect to
Ashland Fiber Network
Request Conservation
Evaluation
Proposals, Bids
& Notifications
Request Building
Inspection
Building Permit
Applications
Apply for Other
Permits & Licenses
Register for
Recreation Programs

©2024 City of Ashland, OR | Site Handcrafted in Ashland, Oregon by Project A

Quicklinks

Connect

Share

twitter facebook Email Share
back to top