I'm not watering any plants but I'm not thrilled about it....and to be berated by WSSC at the same time??!!

WSSC, our local water authority, is replacing part of an 8 foot (in diameter) line and has issued a mandate limiting water usage. I'm excited that their new sonar technology detected a problem before it became a huge blowout and I'm willing to cut back my usage by 1/3, I'm sure we've done more than that. Possibly I'm just being sensitive because I'm a gardener. I mean I don't have a pool and so I don't know what sort of hardship not topping it off for a week would be. I suspect not so serious as losing most of your annuals or vegetables. I would have hoped for something more nuanced than "all outside watering is prohibited: grass, gardens, flowers..." I'm cooperating but does that mean I have to  let hundreds of dollars worth of container plantings die for lack of 20 gallons of water? I'm glad I don't have a vegetable garden, or any significant new plantings.

Most water restrictions aren't so heavy-handed. For example, they allow hand watering of newly planted material. They differentiate between irrigation and selective watering My feeling is that this is not a well thought out edict, and there wasn't any input from anyone who cared about gardening. It's certainly not well timed as it was released the very day of a double-digit rate increase. I'm not suggesting conspiracy: maybe God's sense of humor, or possibly just another affirmation that irony is the driving force of the universe.

While I'm whining I have to wonder about WSSC's assertion that despite their pleas for a one-third reduction, usage has only dropped 8%, ah now I see they have acknowledged 14% in a bragging, self-congratulatory statement in which they continue to berate the efforts of their customer to conserve.   Everyone I know is making an effort and a lot of people have gone away for the holiday weekend. I'd like to see those figures and have them explained to me. An article this weekend related some details about the state of the infrastructure and it isn't good. We can no doubt expect more of this sort of situation. I only hope that in the future WSSC can try to be a little less opaque and paternalistic in their relations with their customers.