Water restrictions in Onondaga County, NY — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Onondaga County draws water from Otisco Lake and Lake Ontario via OCWA. Central New York rarely faces drought restrictions. OCWA asks for voluntary conservation during summer peak demand.
The Onondaga County Water Authority (OCWA) serves over 360,000 residents across Onondaga, Oswego, Madison, and Oneida counties, drawing primarily from Otisco Lake (a Finger Lake) and Lake Ontario via the Oswego supply. The City of Syracuse operates a separate system sourced from Skaneateles Lake, one of the cleanest natural municipal supplies in the nation (exempt from filtration under a federal filtration avoidance determination). Central New York averages 40+ inches of precipitation annually, so mandatory outdoor watering bans are rare. When summer peak demand spikes, OCWA issues voluntary odd-even lawn-watering advisories. The NY State Drought Management Task Force can declare regional drought watches/warnings/emergencies that trigger mandatory restrictions under Executive Order, but Region 7 (Central NY) has seen few such declarations since 2016.
During mandatory drought declarations, OCWA can shut off service for violations. Syracuse's Water Department can impose fines and surcharges. No routine penalties during normal conditions.
Onondaga County, NY
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See how Onondaga County's water restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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