Water restrictions in Colonie, NY — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
The Town of Colonie's Latham Water District is governed by the Water chapter of the Town Code (https://ecode360.com/13241665). The Town Board may declare a water emergency by resolution and direct the Superintendent of the Water Department to issue a proclamation prohibiting lawn sprinkling, ornamental irrigation, vehicle washing, or limiting use to certain hours or days. Violations are punishable by a fine of not more than $250, imprisonment up to 15 days, or both. NY ECL Article 15 governs statewide drought advisories.
Colonie's water-restriction framework is set out in the Water chapter of the Code of the Town of Colonie (https://ecode360.com/13241665), administered by the Public Works Division of Latham Water (https://www.townofcolonie.gov/departments/lathamwater/). The purpose is to conserve and protect the water supply of the Latham Water District by limiting, restricting, and/or prohibiting use for certain purposes during periods of emergency in the interest of public health, safety, and welfare. Emergencies include actual or threatened shortages caused by drought, breakdown of the pumping system or filtration plant, power shortage or failure, civil defense alerts, or similar events the Town Board deems to justify action. When the Town Board determines that conservation is necessary, it adopts a resolution declaring an emergency and may direct the Superintendent of the Water Department to issue a proclamation prohibiting lawn sprinkling, irrigation of ornamental plants, shrubs, or trees, domestic-garden watering, vehicle washing, or limiting use to certain hours or days. The Town imposed a drought-related restriction in June 2020 prohibiting outdoor water use between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. At the state level, NY Environmental Conservation Law Article 15 (Water Resources Law) and NYS DEC drought management divide the state into nine drought regions with four advisory levels: Watch, Warning, Emergency, and Disaster. Mandatory restrictions only attach during Emergency or Disaster declarations. Latham Water also urges customers to minimize outside use between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. during high-demand periods.
Violation of an emergency water proclamation issued by the Superintendent of the Water Department under the Town Code is punishable by a fine of not more than $250, imprisonment for not more than 15 days, or both. Each day of continuing violation may be charged as a separate offense. Outside an emergency, Latham Water customers face only voluntary conservation requests. During a NYS-declared Drought Emergency or Disaster under NY ECL Article 15, statewide mandatory measures may apply in addition to local rules. Essential uses (firefighting, public health, construction-site dust control) typically remain exempt.
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