City of Madera to lift water restrictions

The Madera City Council lifted residential water restrictions by unanimous vote at its regular meeting this week. The decision to allow watering three days a week will take effect Sept. 2.

The City Council had voted to go to two-day-a-week watering in 2015 when the drought was in its most serious stages. Madera met or exceeded its state mandated conservation quota for most months until a rainy fall and winter late last year and early this year softened water conservation efforts.

Fresno and Clovis already have voted to extend watering to three days a week. But a July presentation by Public Works Director David Randall indicated that Madera’s water resources were not as plentiful as those of Fresno and Clovis, and urged maintaining the two-day-a-week schedule. The Madera City Council chose not to do so at its meeting Wednesday.

Rural Madera County residents still face various water conservation rules depending on where they live, ranging from Stage 2 (watering twice a week) to 4 (no outdoor watering).