Watering Restrictions

On Friday, September 15, 2023, the York Water Company announced a Mandatory Non-Essential Water Use Restriction in all areas served by the York Water Company in Adams, Franklin, and York Counties.  This mandatory restriction comes as our region suffers from an annual rainfall deficit of over 12”, to date.

While the restrictions announced on Friday are broad, they are not all-inclusive, and apply to “non-essential” water use only.  The York Water Company has offered a detailed list of permitted uses that are pertinent to your landscape, and our livelihood here at Hively.

Below is a detailed description of permitted water uses, condensed for pertinence and clarity– the complete document is available here; https://www.yorkwater.com/prohibition-of-nonessential-water-uses/

(1)  The use of water for watering of grass*:

(ii)   Water may be used to establish and maintain newly seeded and sodded grass areas when applied between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. by means of a bucket, can or hand-held hose equipped with an automatic shut-off nozzle*, or when applied between the hours of 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. by any other means designed and operated to ensure effective conservation.

(iii)   Water may be applied by a professional landscaper to establish and maintain newly seeded and sodded grass areas during working hours by any means designed and operated to ensure effective conservation.

(iv)   Water may be used by professional landscapers or irrigation contractors for the purpose of testing newly installed or repaired irrigation equipment for a period not to exceed 10 minutes per irrigation zone.

(v)   Water may be applied for the purpose of grub control one time during the effective period of the water supply restriction.

(3)  The use of water for irrigation and watering of outdoor gardens, landscaped areas, trees, shrubs and other outdoor plants:

(ii)   Water may be applied by means of a bucket, can, hand-held hose equipped with an automatic shut-off nozzle*, or an irrigation system* that is designed and operated to restrict the timing or total volume of water and to restrict the application to specific plantings and that ensures effective conservation, when applied between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. Sources of water, other than public water, shall be used to the extent available.

(iii)   Water may be used by nurseries to maintain stock, by a means that ensures effective conservation, only to the extent that sources of water other than public water adequate to supply needs are not available or feasible to use.

(v)   Water may be used by a professional landscaper or irrigation contractor during working hours, by a means that ensures effective conservation.

(6)  The use of any water for ornamental purposes, including fountains, artificial waterfalls, and reflecting pools:

(i)   Fountains or waterfalls may be operated to perform the primary and necessary aeration function for a pond that supports fish life.

(ii)   Water may be used to top off ornamental water gardens or fishponds to the minimum extent necessary to maintain fish and aquatic life.

*Watering established residential lawns is NOT a permitted use, regardless of application method. 

*Automatic shut-off nozzle- a trigger style hose nozzle, or similar device, that requires continuous manual activation to permit water flow and automatically stops water flow when manual activation ceases.

*Irrigation system- a system that delivers water in a controlled and metered manner, directly to the root zone of the plant material, with timed runtimes and automatic on/off.  Sprinklers that deliver water via a broadcast, overhead  “rainfall” method are NOT a permitted irrigation system. 

Hively Landscapes has been providing services to the greater York County area for over 55 years, and we take great pride in our role as a responsible corporate citizen of the county.  We are your neighbors.  We understand the important part we play as a role model and that is why we strictly follow laws and guidelines from state and local municipalities and their partners, including utilities like the York Water Company.

Our livelihood depends on our natural resources, including water, and we work every day to conserve these resources that allow us to provide our services.  This will continue as we work hard to ensure that you, our customer, receive the service you expect while we respect and protect our natural resources.

Please contact our office with any questions or comments.

Thank you,

Ted Ventre
Owner, York County Resident, and York Water Customer.