By Katy Schwab

Messenger Staff Writer

As Placer continues to suffer a drought, water consuming activities are ideally, in need of mitigation.
Placer county is encouraging that hoses have stop nozzles and to always check for leaks. In Roseville being caught with a leaking hose can result in a fine of about $400. Using water to wash a car or more than a certain time limit can also result in fine. While here in Auburn that fine has not been established yet. Placer County has set out many warnings and tips to control water and reduce the amount that California uses.
The requirements from the district, to use less water are to suspend irrigation to some lawns. The lawns in front of the auditorium are remained to be watered the same, but the lawn was already replaced with a more drought tolerant lawn, so the watering time is reduced. The irrigation of the athletic fields is continued at the same rate, with an emphasis on reducing water waste.
Placer high school is using the tips from our governor, but also making their own changes. With the changes of different landscape and the shortened time of the sprinklers.
The governor is telling everyone to limit 20% less water than they use on a daily basis and start planning many more way to use less water.
Placer high school is not the only school taking precautions. The other high schools in our district are taking similar water saving changes. The other schools are starting to stop some lawns and limiting times on sprinklers. They have also put in drought resistant plants to limit the water waste.
Placer is doing much to start preventing drought one step at a time along with schools all over California. Many other families and businesses are joining, to help prevent drought in California.
For example, Placer High School’s football team uses sprinklers to continuously fill up their water bottles. Are they actually sprinklers? These sprinklers connect to a hose that connects to a pipe in the ground. They have nozzles on the end that stop the water, however they leak and drip.
After asking coach Montoya if they were tightened right he replied saying “They are supposed to be.”.
There is an estimated total of 150 hours of practice that the hoses are leaking. It is constantly dripping and wastes water, especially since California is in an extreme drought. This is not even including practices, which is even more hours that the hoses are leaking.