New lawn watering restrictions in South Barrington
As they pursue getting potable water from Lake Michigan, conservation-minded South Barrington officials have enacted restrictions for sprinkling and other outdoor hydrologic activities.
“We are trying to be good stewards of water and preserve our supply,” Mayor Paula McCombie said in an email.
While Lake Michigan provides a vast supply of drinking water to many Chicago-area communities, South Barrington's municipal water system uses a deep, underground aquifer, which are considered finite resources. The system serves homes west of Bartlett Road, the Arboretum of South Barrington shopping center, and other customers, officials have said.
Most of the properties in town, however, get water from private wells on shallow aquifers. The new restrictions, approved last week by the village board, only apply to properties on the village system.
As droughts and high water use can reduce natural water availability and strain the village water system, conservation efforts can protect the water supply.
Starting Jan. 1, 2026, people will be allowed to use outdoor sprinklers or irrigation systems that draw from the village water supply only between 5 and 9 a.m. and between 5 and 10 p.m., with some exceptions.
Additionally, watering at properties with odd-numbered addresses only will be allowed on odd-numbered dates, as long as they aren’t consecutive days at the end of one month and the beginning of the next. Watering at properties with even-numbered addresses only is allowed on even-numbered dates.
Also, new or replacement sprinkler systems must be equipped with irrigation controllers that are labeled to show they meet the standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program. Such controllers measure soil moisture or weather data — or both — to determine if automatic sprinkler systems should activate.
The rules apply to residential, commercial and industrial properties. Lawns that are less than 3 months old can be exempted with a permit.
People will be able to water lawns using watering cans, buckets or handheld hoses with nozzles or similar valves on any day and at any time, the rules state.
Likewise, using village-supplied water to fill children’s swimming pools and other water-dependent toys is exempt from the new rules. So is using water from a hose to wash cars as long as the water flow is shut off when not in use.
Using water outside for property maintenance or for a commercial operation like a car wash is exempt, too.
The new regulations include a clause that discourages sod installation between June 1 and Sept. 15 because of the corresponding water usage.
Violators face $250 fines.
Village leaders have been talking about joining a Lake Michigan water system for years. Their preferred supplier is the Northwest Suburban Municipal Joint Action Water Agency, a consortium of Cook County towns that buys Lake Michigan drinking water from Chicago.