The Inverness Public Utility District declared a water shortage emergency on Wednesday, responding to emergency requirements established last month by the State Water Resources Control Board that all water districts take conservation measures (though rural districts are allowed to implement less stringent ones). The district’s general manager, Scott McMorrow, said that currently stream flows are “low but adequate.” Without the mandate, Mr. McMorrow said he wasn’t sure whether or not the district would have taken emergency action. “We probably would have waited to see what September would bring. I couldn’t say we wouldn’t have done it this year. But probably not the third week of August,” he said. The declaration of a water emergency means that IPUD customers are prohibited from using water for things like filling swimming pools and decorative fountains (except to preserve the life of fish) and washing hard outdoor surfaces like patios, driveways and buildings. The ordinance also requires hoses to be equipped with a spray nozzle, and permits for using water during construction projects.