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SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento City Councilors rejected a resolution Tuesday to increase the amount of days people can water outside from two to three days per week.

It agreed on approving an alternative plan to reduce the city's conservation goal from 28 percent down to 20 percent, while keeping the two day a week watering restriction.

The proposal came two weeks after the State Water Resources Control Board ordered cities to set their own conservation standards. Since that time, several local cities including Roseville and Galt have increased their outdoor watering days.

"It's not the time for us to move away from conservation," city council member Jeff Harris said.

Tuesday evening the Department of Utilities presented a resolution that would reduce the city's water shortage condition from a Stage 2 to a Stage 1, increasing the amount of outdoor watering days from 2 to 3 days per week, and reducing the city's 28 percent conservation goal down to just 10 percent.

"In an effort to balance the need to save water with the need to maintain the health of the city's urban forest and landscapes," Jim Peifer with the Department of Utilities said.

Peifer said the Department of Utilities conducted a study to see the effect California's historic drought had taken on the city's trees over the last five years. He said that report showed the city's tree canopy declined by 8 percent during that time period.

Council member Harris argued against the idea that allowing residents to water their landscaping more days per week would address that issue. He said drip irrigation is often a more effective method of watering trees than turning on sprinklers for an extended period of time.

"Frankly, as an avid gardener and someone who does take care of a lot of trees, being able to water twice a week is more than ample," Harris said.

The sentiment was echoed by several council members who concluded that Sacramento needed to lead the state in water conservation.

"I also want to continue to support anything we're doing to educate the public on top of what we're doing right now," VIce Mayor Rick Jennings said.

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