Fayette residents will soon have a very short period to water their thirsty yards.

The Fayette County Commission signed off Thursday on agreeing to slightly loosen the water restrictions and follow the state Environmental Protection Division’s directive.

Water Director Tony Parrot explained the system will have up to 10.3 million gallons available starting April 1, when the restrictions loosen.

According to the EPD, hand watering of existing landscape must be done between midnight and 10 a.m. on designated days based on odd-numbered and even-numbered addresses for no more than 25 minutes.

Odd–numbered addresses may water Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Even-numbered addresses may water Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

The EPD defines hand watering as one person with one garden hose with a spray nozzle that shuts off automatically when it is released. Parrot said there are no restrictions against using the 25 minutes to hand-water a lawn.

Swimming pools will also be allowed to be filled, and there is also help for the state’s struggling landscape industry.

People who successfully complete an outdoor water use registration program are allowed to water newly installed landscape up to three days a week following the odd-even schedule for a period of 10 weeks following planting. The outdoor water use registration program is now available online at www.urbanagcouncil.com.

With the new allotment of water use from the state, Parrott added the system would still have a 300-day supply even if the maximum amount was used during the summer months.

“Please keep monitoring our supply and keep us up to date,” said Chairman Jack Smith.

While many of the landscapers at Thursday’s meeting were happy with the decision, former Planning Commission member Tim Thoms urged the board to look at the whole problem.

“We need to look at all areas of water usage, instead of just outdoor watering,” he said.

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