With the reservoirs buoyed by recent rainfall and customer conservation, the Orange Water and Sewer Authority board voted on Thursday to ease water use restrictions.

The board opted to jump from the tight Stage 3 limits we’ve been under for the past month all the way back to Stage 1, bypassing Stage 2 altogether.

That means you can wash the pollen off your car and fill your pool -- although you still can’t refill ornamental ponds or fountains. You can water your yard with a sprinkler one day a week, or with a hand-held hose any time, as long as you limit it to one-half inch per week. You can pressure-wash building exteriors but not driveways or other paved surfaces. The Stage 3 rate surcharge, which went into effect on March 17, no longer applies.

All wonderful news. Customers did their part, and just in time for spring the rains have finally come. The things that should be green are green again. Everything looks refreshed.

OWASA will keep a close eye on water supplies, and if the situation worsens the board says it won’t hesitate to reinstate more stringent restrictions. If conservation has become a habit among enough residents, that may not be necessary.