MEDIA ADVISORY

Mayor: Jennifer P. Dougherty

CONTACT: Nancy Gregg Poss, Public Information Officer, 301-360-3842

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, August 29, 2002

CITY OF FREDERICK ASKS CITIZENS TO

HELP DURING COMMUNITY CRISIS

Frederick, Md. --- As the City of Frederick continues its efforts to keep the community up-to-date regarding the daily status of our current drought situation, we are also focused of ensuring our community is educated and adhering to the current Citywide Level II Mandatory Water Restrictions.

Vincent Hughes, Chief Operations Officer of Citizen Services, has been working with the top 100 business users in identifying irregular water usage peaks and working with companies to help reduce their water usage. Under the City’s current water restrictions, businesses are required to reduce water usage by 10%, as well as have a written conservation plan in place. Hughes stated, “Of our top 100 users, I am personally working with these companies/businesses who are not in compliance to help ensure that they have conservation plans in place and that they are doing everything they can to achieve the mandatory 10% reduction.” Currently residents are only being asked to reduce their consumption by 10%, not required as with businesses.

In an effort to ensure that current water restrictions are being followed, the City of Frederick’s Office of Code Enforcement has begun routine late night and early morning patrols of developments and neighborhoods where significant numbers of complaints are received from citizens identifying water violations. “This is a community crisis,” stated Eva Rosvold, Executive Assistant to City of Frederick Mayor Jennifer P. Dougherty. “Everyone has to do their part in conserving water. Each drop counts at this point and as a community we need to pull together in order to get through this history making drought.”

The Department of Code Enforcement recently issued citations, between 4 p.m. – 12 a.m., to two residents of the Dearbought and Walnut Ridge developments. Both property owners were cited and fined for watering their gardens and shrubs, a violation of Level Two Mandatory Water Restrictions. The late night and early morning patrols were instituted by Michael Blank, Manager of the City of Frederick Department of Code Enforcement, due the increasing complaints from citizens in these areas. It is a popular misconception that watering before sunrise and after sunset is allowed. Currently, external watering cannot take place, at any time, unless using recaptured rainwater or gray water.

Additional routine patrols are scheduled for those property owners who have received prior citations.

Other neighborhoods that should foresee late night and early morning patrols include; Lake Coventry, Amber Meadows. The Office of Code Enforcement is also working with Vinny Hughes in monitoring our commercial abusers.

To report a water violation at anytime please call 301-600-1440.

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