In Mammoth Lakes, groundwater levels have gone down, surface water looks skimpy, and some wells have issues. Add it all up and it equals much tougher water use restrictions in town.

The Mammoth Community Water District Board met Thursday to talk about this. Level 1 water restrictions were last used in the dry year of 1992. Because of this year’s exceptional drought and conditions on and under the ground, the Water Board did vote unanimously to start Level 1 water restrictions, effective July 30th.

The Board will meet more on the specifics of Level 1 at an adjourned meeting Wednesday morning at 7: 30am. Officials did say they expect Level 1 restrictions to include this:

  • No outdoor watering between the hours of 10am and 5pm.
  • If your address is an even number, you water only on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
  • If your address is an odd number, water only on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.
  • No outdoor watering for anyone on Wednesday.
  • Drip systems and hand watering are exempt from these rules.
  • General construction can use either fire hydrant meters or reclaimed water.
  • Operators of golf courses, parks and playing fields must submit a water conservation plan.
  • No one can hose down driveways, sidewalks, parking areas or decks.
  • Can’t wash off your vehicles, motorbikes, boats except with hoses designed with an automatic shut-off device.
  • No new lawn allowed.

While Mammoth Lakes residents work on how to cut back water use, Independence residents celebrated the lifting of a water Boil Order. The town’s people have boiled water for consumption since the Inyo Complex fire destroyed the roof of the town water reservoir. That was more than two weeks ago.

Today (Friday July 20), Inyo County announced that as of noon, the Boil Order for Independence had been lifted. Temporary water tanks are in operation. County crews took the old storage reservoir off line, the water system was disinfected and flushed. The Inyo County Public Works Department and the State Division of Drinking water lifted the Boil Order and declared the water safe to drink.

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