The weather's getting warmer and drier, and residents are starting to water their landscaping again. Meanwhile, the repair and rehabilitation work at the Rio Oso water tank is still going on, prompting a request from the Community Services District to watch water usage, especially during peak hours.

"I wanted to remind the community to conserve water. I noticed a lot of people have started heavy irrigating," Paul Siebensohn, director of field operations, said Tuesday. "It's always best to conserve water, but the tank project's still going on."

The Rio Oso tank supplies pressurized water to Units 3 and 4 -- about a third of Murieta North. The tank is expected to remain out of service for another two months, according to Siebensohn.

The CSD made improvements at the water treatment plant to accommodate the community's peak morning water demand while the tank is out of service. The CSD asks residents to help insure that the plant can continue to
meet the water demand between 5 and 10 a.m. by limiting irrigation or not irrigating during those hours and also making an effort to conserve water.

A notice on the CSD web site informs residents, "If water is running off your yard and into streets and gutters, you are over watering."