Facing a chamber full of panicked landscape contractors, the Alpharetta, Ga. City Council didn't blink exactly, it sort of winked a little.
The council backed off a measure passed last week that imposed a wholesale ban on watering new landscaping. But the council kept a prohibition on watering new grass seed — the issue that provoked the tough ordinance to begin with — and restricted the days other new plants can drink from the public tap.
"I think we jumped a little too far last week," said Mayor Arthur Letchas. "Hopefully, we're reeling back a little bit. I think this will be a good ordinance, a win-win for everybody."
After the unanimous vote, the council chambers erupted with applause from the 150 landscapers, irrigation installers and commercial nursery owners and workers.
The revised ordinance approved Monday allows owners of professionally landscaped yards and grounds to continue to water new plants for 30 days, but limits the watering to Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from midnight to 10 a.m.
At one point, Councilman D.C. Aiken proposed restricting the watering to two days a week, but after hearing more than an hour's worth of public comment, he yielded to four days.
Councilman John Monson suggested that there be more conservation education so that everyone shares the pain of cutting back.
"I'd like to see two eggs from everyone, not 12 from the landscapers," Monson said.
Teddy Russell, of Russell Landscape Group, liked the final decision.
"I think it's more than fair," Russell said. "The other ordinance was completely unfair. The landscaping industry has given its dozen eggs. Four days is all you need for winter."
Currently, all of North Georgia is under Level 4 drought restrictions, which prohibits outdoor watering but allows a 30-day exception for new landscaping.
Mary Kay Woodworth, executive director of the Metro Atlanta Landscape and Turf Association, agreed that the new ordinance is a major improvement.
"I was afraid they were going to go with two days," she said. "Overall, I think it's a good ordinance. It sends a message to other governments. To do much more would not have been smart for our industry."
On Oct. 22, the City Council passed an emergency ordinance because of reports that people were using overseeding — planting grass seed over an existing lawn — to justify watering entire landscapes.
During the 90-minute hearing Monday, landscaper after landscaper took to the microphone to ask the council to reconsider. Most were in jeans, some wearing shirts emblazoned with their company's logo. Some were in boots, and some wore sweatshirts or Ike jackets. The room was too small to contain the crowd. Another 20 to 50 more waited outside.
A Dawsonville irrigation installer told the council he had been doing that work for 20 years, and he was scared for his job.
"It's all I know," he said. "Even if you restrict it to three or four days, we'll still be hurting hard. If you do this, it will have a ripple effect. I'm not asking you, I'm begging you."
Alpharetta police officers and firefighters are empowered to issue non-criminal and criminal citations to anyone who fails to comply with the restrictions. First offenders will be given a written warning. Second-time offenders will be subject to a $250 fine, and third-time violators can expect to be hit with a $500 fine.
Aiken had another message to landscape contractors.
"Educate your clients," he said. "If we get to a Level 5 situation, this will be a moot point. We don't want the situation to be taken out of our hands."