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Water Use Restrictions
To prepare for future droughts, the City practices Water Conservation as a Milpitas Way of Life. Although we're not currently in a drought, Milpitas has permanent water waste restrictions in place, which are outlined in the City's Code under Title VIII Ch. 6 – Section 3 Water Conservation Ordinance.
Keep reading to learn more about water waste to help us conserve water. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Water Conservation Hotline at (408) 586-2666 or e-mail us at water@milpitas.gov.
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Using broken sprinklers wastes water.
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Make sure to use a shutoff nozzle when using a hose.
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Don't let your sprinklers spray onto paved surfaces or into the gutter.
- Water when it’s cool outside. For sprinkler systems, watering is only allowed before 9 am and after 6 pm.
- Only water outdoors on the four designated days listed in the watering schedule below.
- Addresses ending in Odd number: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday
- Addresses ending in Even number: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Sunday
- Without Street Number: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday
- Always use a hose with a nozzle that shuts off automatically when the handle is released for watering landscapes and washing vehicles.
- Don’t let water run into streets or gutters. Watering that results in flooding or runoff in gutters, sidewalks, driveways, or streets is prohibited.
- Use a broom instead of a hose to clean hard surfaces including sidewalks and driveways.
- Fix leaks as soon as possible. Do not use broken or defective plumbing, sprinkler, watering, or irrigation systems.
- Turn off irrigation systems when it is going to rain. Watering outdoor plants, lawn, grass, landscaping, or turf areas during and within 48 hours after measurable rainfall is prohibited.
- Cover pools and spas when not in use to prevent evaporation.
- Make sure decorative fountains have a recirculating system.
- Provide customers with water only upon request.
- Use a recirculated water system for car wash equipment.
- Do not use water in new, added or altered cooling system equipment unless at least fifty percent (50%) of the water is recycled.
- Do not use water for construction purposes including dust control and compaction.
- Use drip or microspray irrigation in newly constructed homes and buildings.
- Do not use potable water for irrigating non-functional turf. Non-functional turf is defined as lawn areas that are strictly ornamental and do not serve any recreational purposes for humans.
- Examples of non-functional turf include: streetscape turf along sidewalks, parking lots, medians within roundabouts, streetscape frontage areas, etc.
- Trees that are located within non-functional turf areas may still be irrigated, but only as much as necessary.
- More information regarding the state’s non-functional turf watering ban can be found in this emergency regulation fact sheet prepared by the State Resources Control Water Board.
Reporting Water Waste
Water waste can happen anywhere and at any time -- be sure to report it when you see it happening!
When submitting a water waste complaint, you'll want to remember: what kind of water waste did you observe, where you saw the water waste occurring, and when you saw the water waste happening. You can submit a report by:
- Using the MyMilpitas app or web tool to submit a service request
- Calling the Water Conservation Hotline at (408) 586-2666
Once we receive your water waste complaint, our staff will investigate.