City of Mountain Lake prepares course of action IF there is any water shortage
The Mountain Lake Municipal Utility Commission (MLMU) discussed a possible summer watering ban at its Thursday, May 22 meeting.
At this time, the City of Mountain Lake has no plans to restrict water usage. Any possible water restriction policy due to a potential water shortage because of insufficient water being pumped from existing wells , along with waiting for the construction of a new well this summer – Well #7 – is the decision Water/Wastewater Department Supervisor Kevin Krahn. (Information on the city’s application for state grant funding to dig the new well will be included in an article about Monday’s city council meeting.)
In January, the water production from Wells 5 and 6 dropped. To date, production has not returned to 2013 levels. Due to the drop, only half of the water used by MLMU customers can currently be reverse osmosis (RO) filtered, meaning water quality has temporarily dropped.
A new well – Well #7 – will not be operational until fall 2014. Until that time, Mountain Lake residents must contend with water quality issues.
Krahn told the commission on Thursday morning that the arrival of summer brings MLMU an additional problem; water usage in Mountain Lake historically increases due, in part, to non-essential uses – back yard swimming pools, lawn and garden watering and car washing. Water supplies liekly will become more limited.
City Code (Chapter 3, Section 3.20 Subdivision 6) gives the City the power to “entirely prohibit water use or limit the times and hours during which water may be used.”
Krahn reviewed the approved three-stage strategy for short-term water reduction. Each stage requires commission approval.
At the meeting, the commission placed the City of Mountain Lake in a Stage #1 watering ban..)
Weather conditions and voluntary conservation will play a role in determining of Stage #2 or Stage #3 watering bans will be necessary. (Information on the three stages of the Short Term Water Reduction Plan will be included in this month’s Utility bills.)
Following are definitions of the three stages:
* Stage #1 – In the event of a water shortage, the water department supervisor would issue a press release via this web site, local radio and the local newspaper, advising and urging customers to help conserve water on a voluntary basis. THIS IS NOW IN EFFECT.
* Stage #2 – If Stage #1 is not sufficient, the commission will be asked to move to Stage #2. The city would be divided into four zones, using 3rd Avenue and 10th Street as dividing lines. During this stage, lawn and shrub watering would be on a four-day rotation. Each quadrant would be able to water lawns once every four days between the hours of 7 a.m. and 12 p.m. Car washing and any other unnecessary water usage WOULD BE PROHIBITED.
* Stage 3 – During this phase, the city would implement a COMPLETE BAN on all non-essential water usage. Essential water use only includes drinking, cooking and sanitation.
* The non-essential use of water could result in misdemeanor charges.
* Throughout all three stages, public service announcements would be issued via this web site, local radio and the local newspaper. Additionally, during Stage 2, city personnel and members of the Mountain Lake Police Department would be instructed to be on alert for water use violations. As well, residential water users would be used to use water for ESSENTIAL PURPOSES ONLY – such as drinking, cooking and sanitation.
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) recently posted an article on the water shortage not just in Mountain Lake, but in a wide swath of southwest Minnesota. To read, open this hyperlink: In southwest Minnesota, water costs rise, pipes get longer
