A North County resident is raising concerns about sidewalk power washing in the neighborhoods during California’s drought, while city officials maintain it’s about public health.

A Carlsbad realtor sent NBC 7 a photo of a city parks and recreation worker spraying down sidewalks at the Alga Norte Park.

She said the walkways are not dirty enough to warrant a high-powered wash and queried “How can the city expect homeowners to comply if they are also wasting water?”

However, city of Carlsbad spokeswoman Kristina Ray says the washing is a sanitary issue, not a water wasting problem.

She told NBC 7 people often leave behind food and trash, which could attract rodents and pests at the heavily used Alga Norte Park

Even when Carlsbad moves to Level 2 drought restrictions in the next couple of weeks, parks and rec will still make power washing a sanitation and safety priority.

Carlsbad parks have no set schedule for power washing; workers do it on an as-needed basis, according to Ray. But when more people are out and about in the summer months, the sidewalks get sprayed down more often.

Ray pointed out Alga Norte was recently featured in a Parks and Rec magazine for being a model of water savings since it uses recycled water to keep the grass green.

However, the water in the power washer was not recycled because the health department forbids it, Ray says.

If you see what you believe is an example of agencies wasting water, send us a tip through our website.