Residents encouraged not to water lawns

With rain in the forecast, San Diegans were encouraged Friday to shut off their irrigation systems to conserve water.

“The rains we have been receiving and may continue to get through next week are going to keep our lawns and gardens wet enough,’’ Mayor Jerry Sanders said in a statement.

Recent storms combined with a rainy forecast through Monday means sprinklers can stay off for up to two weeks, he said.

“We shouldn’t waste water by turning irrigation systems back on too early,’’ the mayor said. “The ongoing drought and other challenges to our water supply force us to be smart in the way we use water. Keeping our sprinklers off is the smart move.’’

The need to conserve water is necessitated by several years of drought conditions in California and a judge’s ruling that limits the amount of water that can be pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in order to protect an endangered species of fish.