Mandatory Irrigation Ordinance - Watering your lawn and landscape May 1–Oct. 1

During the summer of 2020, our community exceeded its maximum allowable peak water usage as dictated by the Great Lakes Water Authority. Particularly in July, the township averaged more than our maximum permissible usage by as much as 10 percent. The most significant driver of this was lawn irrigation during peak hours, which the GLWA defines any time outside the 11 p.m.-5 a.m. window.

Because of this significant increase in usage, the GLWA, the township’s wholesale municipal water supplier, reviewed our rates and compelled the Shelby Township Department of Public Works to enact certain safeguards to ensure these exceedances do not reoccur.

These GLWA-mandated safeguards included modifying our existing Voluntary Irrigation Ordinance with a Mandatory Irrigation Ordinance. This ordinance restricts non-essential water usage to decrease the maximum normal water usage at peak hours.

Together, we can keep our water and sewer rates stable and help avoid unnecessary rate increases in the future. This action also provides better water pressure for the complete system, ensuring protection to the public’s health, welfare and safety.

Failure to reduce our peak hours water usage, per the GLWA contractual limits, risks significant increases to our wholesale costs from the GLWA of $1.8 million annually. This wholesale increase would result in a mandated increase to our ratepayers of roughly 13% of a household’s water bill, and these increases would last through 2027 and likely never be reduced. Adhering to the Mandatory Irrigation Ordinance is our one chance to avoid these recurring increased rates.

This ordinance does not impact residents that operate an irrigation system fed from a source other than the municipal water supply, such as a well, lake or pond.

How to comply with the new Mandatory Irrigation Ordinance

• Operate sprinklers connected to the municipal water system between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
• Even-numbered addresses must sprinkle on even-numbered calendar dates.
• Odd-numbered addresses must sprinkle on odd-numbered calendar dates.
• Manual watering is only allowed daily after 9 a.m. This practice includes hand watering gardens or potted plants and car washing with a shut-off nozzle.
• Irrigate newly seeded or sodded lawns as often as required for 21 days following planting. Do not water 5-9 a.m.

For more information on the Mandatory Irrigation Ordinance, contact the Department of Public Works at 586-731-5990 or dpw@shelbytwp.org.

Click here to view Mandatory Irrigation Ordinance no. 292

The water meter measures the amount of water that is used in the household.It is usually located in a basement, utility closet or laundry room. On the outside of the house is a remote reader that allows the meter readers to obtain a reading without entering the house. The meter measures water usage in cubic feet. Each cubic foot equals 7.48 gallons. Reading your water meter is much like reading the odometer of a car. For billing purposes, only the first four digits on the left are used.

Toilet leaks can be silent but very costly over a short period of time.The best defense against these leaks is routine maintenance of the various parts of your toilet. In order to see if your toilet is leaking, place food coloring or a powdered drink in the back of the toilet tank (in order to change the color of the water) and wait 30 minutes. If any of the colored water enters the toilet bowl (without flushing)--your toilet is leaking. At this time, you need to examine the flush valve ("flapper") and the refill valve--they may need repair or replacement. Also, be sure to check the water level in the tank so that it is not entering the overflow tube when not in use.

How to fix a leaky toilet

Lawn sprinkling, even while adhering to the odd/even sprinkling restriction is very expensive, especially for those customers who have both municipal water and sanitary sewer. An area maintenance meter is available through the Department of Public Works for those customers. This area maintenance meter measures water used for lawn sprinkling, and sanitary sewer fees are not charged on that portion of the water bill. Please call the D.P.W. at 586-731-5990 for further information.

Area Maintenance Meter Regulations

Lawn irrigation is one of the single largest uses of water during the spring, summer and fall. This use needs to be monitored very closely. Many landscaping experts state that lawn irrigation equal to an amount of 2 to 3 inches per week is sufficient for healthy turf growth. Depending on the sprinkler head, this equates to approximately 20 minutes of sprinkling every other day.

• Do not water too frequently - grass will form a deeper, healthier root growth when the water is allowed to soak into the ground at a slower rate.
• Water lawns early in the morning during the hot summer months.
• Use rain shutoff devices to avoid lawn irrigation during inclement weather.

• Contact DPW Immediately: 586-731-5990
• After Hours Contact: 586-731-2121 (Police Dept)

If you experience an overflow or backup of a sewage water disposal system or stormwater system, please contact the Charter Township of Shelby Department of Public Works immediately at 586-731-5990. After business hours contact the Shelby Township Police Department at 586-731-2121. You must file a written claim with the DPW within forty-five (45) days after the overflow or backup was discovered. To receive a Notice of Claim form, please contact the Shelby Township Department of Public Works at 586-731-5990 or by mail at 6333 23 Mile Road, Shelby Township, MI 48316. Failure to provide the required notice will prevent recovery of damages.