By Mary Butler
Camera Staff Writer

LOUISVILLE — Coal Creek Ranch resident Larry Ito awakened Friday morning to knocking at his front door, where a police officer was waiting to issue him a warning for watering his lawn after 7 a.m. and on an off day.

"I don't know why it's going off," a confused Ito said. He, like many others, had reset his sprinkler system on May 15 when the city enacted mandatory water rationing rules, but a two-hour power outage Thursday apparently erased new settings.

Officer Michelle Ferguson, who patrols Louisville's streets most mornings, said residents and businesses have been willing to follow new water restrictions, which limit watering to between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. on set days and were established in case the region's drought persists.

The dry spell wracking Colorado began in 1999, climatologists say, and was worsened by scarce snowfall this past winter. Statewide, water flows for May are projected to yield less than 50 percent of what is average, according to the federal Department of Agriculture.

Louisville limited water use in hopes of reducing summertime usage by 50 percent. The cities of Boulder and Lafayette followed suit, imposing mandatory tap restrictions. Superior has asked for a voluntary 20 percent reduction in water use.

"I think people are trying to cooperate, and the ones who haven't been able to get their water situations under control, we've cited," Ferguson said.

So far, three Louisville commercial businesses have been ticketed for breaking time and day regulations imposed to control water use.

Watering warnings totaled 61 as of Friday morning, when it was clear that many sprinkler systems were set unintentionally.

Meanwhile, thirsty soil got its first drink in days as newly fallen snow covered the ground.

Koelbel and Co., part owners of the McCaslin Boulevard-area Centennial Valley Business Park, was among those ticketed. The other two businesses that received $75 tickets were the Diamond Shamrock convenience store on South Boulder Road and the property management company Trammel Crow.

Koelbel and Co. Vice President Jeff Sheets said his company's violation was unintentional.

"We take the water conservation measures very seriously and will adhere to whatever rules the city imposes," Sheets said.

The company had reset sprinkler system time clocks, he said, "but somehow one got turned incorrectly. One out of about 50 clocks isn't too bad."

Contact Mary Butler at butlerm@thedailycamera.com or (303) 473-1390.

May 25, 2002

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