City-Wide Water Restrictions

On Tuesday, August 14, Governor Jim Doyle issued an Executive Order declaring a State of Emergency due to current drought conditions. On a local level, water restrictions remain in effect for River Falls residents.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007
By Resolution Adopting Water Use Proclamations (Water Utility), the Common Council of the City of River Falls ratified the Proclamations issued by the Hon. Don Richards, Mayor, on August 10, 2007, issuing an Emergency Order for a Watering Ban in the City of River Falls and his August 13, 2007 Proclamation, issuing an Emergency Order for Watering Restrictions in the City of River Falls and that by means of this Resolution, places the said Proclamations into full force and effect as a legislative determination of this Common Council and, as such, incorporates each Proclamation by reference.

Friday, August 10, 2007
River Falls Municipal Utilities requested a watering ban within the city limits and by proclamation of the Mayor, the official ban was put in place Friday evening.

The City of River Falls has four municipal wells. The wells are monitored continually by SCADA, and the computer data is reviewed several times each day. On Thursday afternoon, August 9, 2007, water levels in one of the wells had dropped to a low level, which is common when people return home and start irrigating. However, the water level did not recharge normally overnight. During the day Friday, the well did not return to an acceptable level for pumping and was taken out of service to avoid overworking the pumps.

It was also observed over a period of time on Friday that a second well was not recovering as fast as normal from the daily spike caused by irrigation. This was not as critical as the situation at the other well, but it was concerning.

While it is normal for well levels to drop during the summer due to hot, dry weather conditions and increased irrigation use, the recharge limitation was particularly unusual. The low water level occurred literally overnight and required immediate responsive action until the levels returned to normal. This situation appeared to be related to natural conditions that are outside the control of normal operations. After discussing the situation with city emergency management, the decision was made to impose a temporary city-wide watering ban over the weekend and re-evaluate the situation on Monday. This decision was made in the interest of assuring adequate water for fire protection and safe consumption.

Overall, River Falls Municipal Utilities is very impressed with the reaction to the ban. The response by the community is greatly appreciated. The end result of the cooperative effort is that water usage in River Falls on Saturday was half the usage on Friday. The decreased usage, combined with the rainfall on Friday night, allowed one of the low-level wells to begin recharging to acceptable levels. The other well has improved slightly, but is still not at normal recharge levels. Certain water-dependent businesses were allowed to do limited watering on Sunday evening.

On a typical day, the average water usage in River Falls is 1.2 million gallons. The peak usage this summer was 2.9 million gallons in one day. According to Ann Wied, a consumer horticulture educator at the University of Wisconsin Extension of Waukesha County, a lawn will stay healthy with 1 inch of water per week, which can be from a combination of rain and sprinklers.

While many consumers are very conservative in their water use and maintain the 1-inch rule, there are situations where sprinklers are in use on a daily basis for long periods of time. The Utility encourages everyone to be proactive in water conservation efforts. Water conservation has been the topic of numerous newsletter articles, advertising, and home show themes over the past several years. The drought of 2007 shows that education and self-regulation may not be enough effort to encourage responsible water use. The utility will be working on a water use ordinance to better regulate when outside watering can occur so the system use is better balanced.

In the meantime, the temporary watering ban has been modified to a Watering Restriction, which is in effect through September 30, 2007. The restrictions are as follows:

• Residents and other customers of the Utility with odd numbered addresses may use sprinklers and other outside water sources on odd numbered days before 9:00 AM and after 7:00 PM.
• Residents and other customers of the Utility with even numbered addresses may use sprinklers and other outside water sources on even numbered days before 9:00 AM and after 7:00 PM.
• As an exception to the general rule, a watering container or hose may be used outside at any time to water gardens, trees or shrubs of the watering device is used by hand and is not left running while unattended.
• Other exceptions to these restrictions may be considered on a case by case basis upon written request directed to the Utility. All decisions of the Utility shall be final.
• Under no circumstances shall sprinklers and other outside sources of water be used between the hours of 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM except for hand held watering containers or hoses.
• In the event that future emergency conditions are declared by the Utility, additional outdoor watering restrictions or bans may be imposed by Proclamation of the Mayor or Resolution of the Common Council.

The utility encourages consumers to consider alternatives such as rain barrels and gray water for landscaping use. For water conservation tips, either go to Water Saving Tips under For Your Home or contact customer service at 425-0906.