CARLSBAD — Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park will host a Xeriscape Workshop from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 21, featuring techniques for landscaping with low-water-use plants from planning to site preparation, plant selection and irrigation.

Oak Park officials discussed a plan that would require businesses and residents to cut their water use by 15 percent or be fined. The conservation plan is being developed by the Triunfo Sanitation District and is expected to be put into place by summer, officials said.

Riverside-area customers of Western Municipal Water District will be prohibited from outdoor water use starting Monday through March 7 because of the temporary shutdown of a water treatment plant. That means no watering outdoors, no washing cars and no hosing down driveways. First-time violators will receive warnings. A second violation could result in a water shutoff.

WITH Yellow Pinch Dam at 87 per cent capacity and falling, Bega Valley Shire Council is asking town water customers to limit their water use where possible.

Athens residents and businesses are using 20 percent less water since one of the most serious droughts in history hit North Georgia, the county's top water official said Tuesday.