WAILUKU — The County Council is moving toward an ordinance that would restrict irrigation with automatic sprinklers to two days a week, according to The Maui News.

It is unlikely the change could take effect before the end of this year's dry season, and there are several exceptions — notably for farms — but the goal is to take the pressure off the Department of Water Supply's overstressed water sources.

Council Member Michelle Anderson, chairwoman of the Water Resources Committee, said Monday that the new restrictions are "not for the purpose of issuing new water meters."

Rather, they are designed to protect the island's aquifers and enhance conservation.

Such an ordinance has been under review since 2005, and initially the idea was to limit lawn watering to every other day: even-numbered street addresses on even-numbered dates in the month, and odd numbers on odd days.

However, that idea, while simple, might not work. Tui Anderson, the water conservation specialist in the department, said in other places the odd/even technique actually drove consumption up.

The psychology seems to be that people who already are conserving get the idea that, "Hey, now I can water every other day," he said.

Tui Anderson proposed, and the committee accepted, limiting watering at any property to two days a week: even numbered addresses on Mondays and Thursdays, odd on Tuesdays and Fridays. No watering at all would be permitted in the hot hours when evaporation wastes water - tentatively between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

He estimated, based on the experience of other water systems, that for Central Maui alone, such a restrictive rule could cut irrigation use by 10 percent to 30 percent, or 1 million to 3 million gallons per day.

Central and South Maui combined are under voluntary conservation guidelines and have been drawing 25 mgd recently.

If successful enough, the drop in consumption would have a significant effect on department income, which has high fixed costs that would not drop as fast as water sales. In that case, the council would be asked to raise rates, Water Director Jeff Eng said.

The proposed penalty for violations would be as much as $500 per violation, with each day of illegal watering counting as a separate violation. Department field staff would be on the lookout for violators, although Eng suggested one or more dedicated inspectors might be needed.

The ordinance is aimed primarily at landowners who use automated irrigation systems, especially those in dry areas who try to make their landscape look lushly green and tropical. The restrictions are intended to be so painful that people will shift toward landscaping appropriate for a dry area.

A long list of proposed exemptions starts with farms and commercial nurseries.

Also exempt would be home food gardens, newly established landscaping (for the first month) and watering by hand.

Watering with a garden hose in hand would be acceptable, so long as the nozzle has an automatic shut-off, so that the water is not allowed to run uselessly or endlessly.

In earlier stages of bill drafts, car washing was proposed to be restricted, but on Monday the committee decided to allow it, so long as the hose has a shut-off valve.

Among others exempt will be commercial car washes, since they already use reclaimed water. Anyone irrigating with reclaimed water would be exempt, except possibly the county itself.

Although many county parks have wells that use brackish water and some use reclaimed water from sewage treatment plants, Council Member Anderson said people don't realize that; so the county must set a good example and put itself on a two-day schedule, too. Mauians "water too much" anyway, she said.

However, the Department of Parks and Recreation will be consulted about such things as playing fields, to see if they can be managed under restrictive rules.

Places without a street address — common areas of shopping malls and apartments, for example — probably will be put on a Wednesday and Saturday schedule.

A draft of the bill will be sent to the Board of Water Supply and to the Subdivision Engineering Standards Committee for formal review. It also will go to parks officials and the state Department of Transportation for informal comments.

That means the matter cannot come back to the Water Resources Committee before September, and even if it passed, there would be a lag before it took effect.

Council Member Gladys Baisa said a thorough public-education program should be undertaken, with a delay in enforcing penalties until members of the public understood what they were supposed to do.

Harry Eagar can be reached at heagar@mauinews.com. Additional Maui News stories are posted online at www.mauinews.com