It rained Monday in Manteca.

Given we are in the third year of drought with an anemic snowpack, dropping ground water tables, and reservoirs at less than 60 percent of normal levels that is good news.

What isn’t good news was the wanton waste of water.

During a 45-minute period in the early afternoon traveling about Manteca without even looking for such instances there were three front yards where lawn sprinklers were on.

Each instance represented three violations of city rules put in place for public safety and health.

*1. Watering lawns within 48 after any measurable rain.

*2. Watering on a Monday.

*3. Watering any day between noon and 6 p.m.

It is clear the conserving of  water is both a public health and safety issue.

Water sustains life. It is critical to a lot of sanitation measures. And it is needed to combat fires.

And while we have sufficient water today at what is the end of annual wet period in California there is no guarantee that will be the case as we reach November or — the more likely scenario — next year should the drought continue into a fourth year and beyond.

The watering of lawns is the most prevalent — and because of that the most egregious — form of water waste.

The reason is simple. The city has repeatedly made it clear that Manteca is like virtually every other Central Valley community. More than half of our urban water consumption is for outside uses primarily in yards and other landscaping. And the vast majority of that is being applied to lawns.

Of the three lawn watering violators on Monday, one was in an older part of the city and the others were in a neighborhood that was less than a year old.

Lawns in California are not composed of native grasses. Instead, they are imports from other climates than are not often cooler but have rainfall throughout the year. California is clearly a Mediterranean climate with a tendency to be desert-like for long stretches especially in the state’s interior where we live.

Now couple that with reality. Even when making adjustments for a 4,000 population gain since 2020, the per capita water consumption in March 2022 was up 14.6 percent from March 2020. Take away the increased population and it was up by more than 15 percent.

Fifteen percent is what state officials back in July asked jurisdictions to reduce water use based on 2020 as the baseline year. The  request was an effort to adjust demand downward to fit within projected supplies.

There is a growing clamor for the city to stop allowing more homes to be built due to the drought.

It is a demand that cannot justifiably be dismissed outright.

Six years ago, during the last drought Manteca was reducing its water use by roughly 15 percent on a per capita basis once adjustments were made to account for population growth.

The city clearly can’t argue under state law that it lacks water was a reason to pause growth as the well hasn’t yet run dry nor are the reservoirs we rely on almost dry.

As ironic as that may sound, the state does indeed often push laws that conflict with other laws or policy goals.

But that does not mean that city leaders can’t take steps to assure Manteca can weather the drought as well as possible without imposing draconian measures on all its existing and future citizens.

Nothing is preventing the city from banning all grass in front lawns and commercial endeavors of new development first as an emergency measure and then going through the required process to make it a permanent prohibition going forward.

It doesn’t stop growth but it does stop growth from accelerating the draining of water supplies.

While the city does have an ordinance in place limiting grass areas in new front yards to a certain percentage to save water, it doesn’t go far enough.

Front yards are for looks and are rarely used for much more than eye candy. Other vegetation with a much smaller appetite for water can generate oxygen,  serve for dust/dirt control, and cool areas around homes.

If a typical new home can reduce its water usage footprint to the point it is at least 30 percent less due to the absence of front yard grass, it will end up being less of a threat to the stability if the city’s future water supplies that are becoming more and more of a crapshoot with drought.

Some would argue no more homes with no more water use would be the best solution.

While it would certainly reduce increased water use, it doesn’t address the fact people have to live somewhere.

Many of the people moving into the valley are from the western side of the Coastal Ranges where a milder climate and somewhat lower temperatures along with what are often smaller yards means a smaller household and per capita use of water. Once here they adjust their water use accordingly.

It is clear we have to keep thinking of ways to stretch available water supplies as the years unfold.

At the same time, it is reckless not to pick the proverbial low hanging fruit that the heavy use of front yard lawns represents in terms of significant water use than can be reduced without creating irrevocable damage.

The city can’t legally stop the 11,000 plus housing units in line to be built in Manteca unless the city lacks basic services to support it such as wastewater treatment plant capacity or water to serve them.

It does not mean that the city can’t put ground rules in place to make sure new construction doesn’t eventually force the city into putting in place drastic reductions in allowed water use as the drought deepens.

And just because buyers of new homes can afford to buy all the water they want to put in lush front lawns doesn’t mean the city has to allow it.

Banning water-guzzling front lawns in all new construction is the responsible course of action.

The real question is whether city leaders are willing to irk the development community that might argue front lawn bans might hurt home sales in a bid to work toward substantiable water supplies for current and future Manteca residents.

This column is the opinion of editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of The Bulletin or 209 Multimedia. He can be reached at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com