TOWN OF FORT JONES AT STAGE YELLOW
Level I – Water Awareness (Yellow) – Voluntary Conservation Measures: Voluntary
At Level I, the Town shall take the following actions:
1. The City Hall staff will engage with the public to encourage voluntary water
conservation.
2. The City Hall Staff will investigate additional ways to conserve water both at the
household level and at the city level.
Background
California finds itself in a historic drought, and surface water rights holders have borne the
brunt of the drought’s impacts. While the Town of Fort Jones relies on groundwater for the
health and safety of its residents, our watershed is interconnected. Depleted aquifers can lead
to low river levels, impacting our neighbors who rely on surface water to survive, and inviting
valley-wide water restrictions from the State of California. Therefore, any actions taken by the
Town of Fort Jones to conserve water will benefit not only residents of the Town, but all
residents of Scott Valley.
The following Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan is intended to create
guidelines as well as a plan for water conservation in the Town of Fort Jones. The plan is
currently a proposal and, thus, subject to revision as appropriate. Ultimately, the City Council
will develop enforceable ordinances to ensure that all Fort Jones residents have access to an
adequate water supply. This document is intended to be used as a guideline as the City Council
develops appropriate ordinances in the future.
The availability of potable water must meet minimum health and safety allocation for human
consumption, sanitation and fire protection needs. It is also understood the City’s water supply
is finite and will fluctuate based on the water year. Per California’s Water Code “the governing
body of a distributor of a public water supply, whether publicly or privately owned and
including a mutual water company, shall declare a water shortage emergency condition to
prevail within the area served by such distributor whenever it finds and determines that the
ordinary demands and requirements of water consumers cannot be satisfied without depleting
the water supply of the distributor to the extent that there would be insufficient water for
human consumption, sanitation, and fire protection.” (Division 1. General State Powers Over
Water [100-540] (Enacted in 1943, Ch. 368; Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 14, Sec. 1. (SB 606),
effective January 1, 2019.)
Purpose of Plan
To ensure the integrity of the City’s water supply for the near and long term, the purpose of
this Water Conservation Plan is to promote the wise and responsible use of water as a scarce
and valuable resource by: (1) encouraging programs to minimize waste; (2) supporting public
education programs that promote water conservation and a better public understanding of
water usage; and (3) working through the City Council to develop, adopt, and implement
water conservation policies and ordinances that help the Town meet its mandate of delivering
an adequate water quantity for the needs of the Town’s residences, businesses and schools and
for fire protection in a manner consistent with the law.
Water Conservations Actions
This Plan includes three Water Conservation Levels that have been identified. These levels are
set by the use of triggers developed to reflect the availability of water resources.
The three water conservation levels of the Town of Fort Jones water supply will be determined
by static well level readings at the Fort Jones Pump. This information will be used as the initial
trigger to establish the Level in which the Town finds itself. At some future date, the Water
Conservation Levels may be subject to curtailment by the California State Water Resources
Control Board.
Public Education and Notification
The Town will notify residents of changing conditions through bill messages, newsletters,
emails, website updates, and Facebook postings and provide relevant information regarding the
personal conservation strategies.
Water Conservation Levels:
Level I – Water Awareness (Yellow) – Voluntary Conservation Measures: Voluntary
The different water conservation levels are as follows:
conservation is the normal mode of operation. Level I measures will apply when the static well
reading at the Fort Jones Pump is between 23 and 29 feet. Voluntary conservation measures are
proposed in this stage to embed water efficiency programs into the fabric of the community
and achieve permanent reductions in per capita water use. The Town’s primary tool for
achieving long-term reductions in water use is public education to encourage the formation of
water-saving habits and installation of water-saving fixtures. Since the community’s structures
tend to be older, the Town encourages customers to update to modern, low-flow, high
efficiency water fixtures and appliances.
The following measures are recommended to encourage prudent water use, as an
unreasonable waste of water is discouraged at all times:
Water Line Leak Detection
1. Minor leaks – The goal should be for both the Town and its residents, to identify and
repair minor leaks within 48 hours.
2. Major leaks – The goal should be to identify and repair major leaks within 8 hours.
Infrastructure – The goal should be to identify and pursue opportunities to enhance and
upgrade the service infrastructure whenever possible to minimize waste on a system wide
scale.
OUTDOOR USAGE:
water use for residential users. As such, conservation efforts in the city should encourage
drought tolerant landscaping.
1. Watering Hours – Use of potable water to irrigate turf and landscape vegetation is
discouraged between the hours of 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM.
2. Irrigated Turf Area – Minimize the amount of irrigated turf in new development to
permanently reduce system-wide per capita water use.
3. Irrigation Control Systems – New and renovated irrigation systems should include
automatic timers and rain or soil moisture sensors that can automatically override the
timer control of the sprinkler system.
4. Drip Irrigated Area – Drip irrigation is more efficient than spray for many
applications, especially those where bushes, flowers, gardens and areas of unusual
shape are being irrigated.
5. Sidewalk and Driveway Design – Lot design should be configured such that spray
irrigation does not overspray and pavement areas. Landscape areas can be designed
to catch any runoff instead of allowing water to drain off.
6. Landscape Plants – Seek to use low water using plants that are drought tolerant.
Individual water conservation habits
1. Bathroom – Turn off water while brushing teeth and shaving. Bathe using half-full tubs
and take shorter showers.
2. Piping – Insulate hot water heaters and pipelines to reduce the time needed to get hot
water at the tap.
3. Kitchen – Store drinking water in refrigerator and run dishwasher only when full.
4. Laundry – Purchase high-efficiency appliances and wash full loads of laundry.
5. Watering Hours – Watering during the heat of the day allows for high evaporation rates,
therefore watering should be done before 10:00am and after 6:00pm.
6. Drip Irrigation – Use drip irrigation wherever possible for deep watering of trees,
bushes, flowers and gardens.
7. Hose Shutoff Valves – Equip hoses with a shutoff valve that requires hand pressure to
open.
8. Exterior Cleaning – Sweep patios, sidewalks, driveways, and other hard exterior
surfaces.
9. Car Washing – Use spray from a hose equipped with a shutoff valve and/or a bucket of
water to wash cars.
10. Hot Water Lines Insulation – Insulating hot water lines or installing a recirculation
pump in new construction will reduce heat losses and the amount of time the water has to
‘run’ before it gets to the proper temperature. Pipe insulation can save both water and
energy.
11. Thermostatic Mixing Devices – By running the hot water and cold-water lines into a
single mixing valve, the person taking a shower can set and get the target water
temperature much more quickly, especially when the hot water line is insulated.
12. Water Saving Devices – Install low-flow devices and flow restrictions for high use
fixtures like shower heads and install updated, low flush toilets and low water use
appliances.
13. Plumbing Repairs – Promptly repair any leaking fixtures. Test your plumbing by
carefully checking the water meter reading and then turning off all water using devices.
After 30 to 60 minutes, check if the meter has recorded any usage. Toilets can be
checked by placing a drop of food coloring in the water tank and checking in 30 minutes
for any coloration of water in the bowl. Toilets are responsible for some of the most
common household leaks.
14. It is recommended that potable water for car washing, construction, compaction, dust
control, street or building wash-down be from a hose equipped with a shutoff valve
and/or a bucket of water for washing. Similarly, patios, sidewalks, driveways and other
hard exterior surfaces to be swept rather than sprayed with water.