After receiving substantial rain on several occasions in the past week, yards and parks across Long Beach filled up with enough water to sustain plants for weeks. The Long Beach Water Department recently issued a recommendation that all residents turn off their sprinklers until March in order to conserve during the state’s now-drastic water shortage.
So it was a little surprising when we received this photo from an anonymous reader who says it was taken just hours after a downpour this week. Long Beach residents have done their share, and the city has been heralded as a beacon of hope thanks to its conservation habits. But these sprinklers kept running on the Appian Bay Bridge on Bayshore Drive.
“I understand the frustration,” said Ramon Arevalo from the Park Maintenace Department. Sprinklers are supposed to be off, and it’s Arevalo’s job to make sure the city is conserving.
“We have to pay for this waste, so it’s in our best interests to conserve.”
Arevalo says that all city sprinklers have been shut off since December 1, 2008. But many of the systems are outdated and unpredictable. Some of the lines are manual and can be turned on when they’re not supposed to be, and it’s difficult to know who activated them or for how long they’ve been running.
Have you noticed similar instances like this one? Arevalo asks anyone observing running sprinklers to call (562) 570-4895 to report them, so we can continue to conserve our most precious resource.
By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor