News

City eases water alert while encouraging lighter use

By Lightning Reports, Published: December 12, 2023

The Water Shortage Alert issued on Oct. 5 has been downgraded to a Water Shortage Advisory following weekend rain and improvement in the Mills River water levels. Water users are still encouraged to voluntarily conserve water due to the ongoing drought conditions. 

“Even though we received some much-needed rainfall over the weekend, portions of our region are still experiencing drought,” Utilities Director Adam Steurer said. “We will likely need several substantial rain events to get us back to normal. Out of precaution we are continuing to encourage our customers and water users to take voluntary conservation measures.”

The city's utility team and water treatment facility staff will continue to monitor water levels and follow the Water Shortage Response Plan, Steurer said.

The Stage I Water Shortage Advisory consists of voluntary measures including, but not limited to:  

• Limit lawn and garden watering to that which is necessary for plants to survive
• Do not wash down outside areas such as sidewalks, patios, parking lots, service bays, aprons, etc.
• Limit car washing to a minimum
• Water shrubbery to the minimum required, reusing household water when possible
• Do not leave faucets running while shaving, brushing teeth, or rinsing dishes
• Limit flushing of toilets by multiple usage
• Limit use of clothes washers and dishwashers, and when used, operate fully loaded
• Take showers rather than bathing and limit the duration of showers
• The use of disposable and biodegradable dishes is encouraged
• The use of flow-restrictive and water-saving devices is encouraged
• Limit hours of operation of water-cooled air conditioners
• All residents, businesses, and institutions are requested to temporarily delay new landscape work until the water shortage has ended. 

Although the short-term forecast still shows lower-than-normal rainfall, the National Weather Service’s long-range prediction model shows improvement in precipitation for the region. This forecast combined with the improvement of the Mills River flow levels prompted the utility to retain water conservation measures for its customers but downgrade the alert to an advisory.