Conservation

Last week I discussed the need for conservation of water. I also discussed the need to look towards the future but really we need to focus on now when we discuss water and its conservation. The City Council at its July 10th meeting placed a sprinkling restriction in place. This restriction provides for an odd even water schedule. What this means is if your house number ends in an even number you may only water on the even numbered calender days. With an odd number you may only water on odd number days. With this in place we feel we can manage water supply better to take care of domestic water uses while also preserving water for fire emergencies. Violations of this restriction will carry a penalty. The penalty involves a warning the first time a violation occurs. Subsequent violations will result in fines of $25 for the second offense and $50 for the third offense. Keep in mind that those with automatic sprinkling systems will need to change their system to address this. It is also important to remember to change it at the end of the month as with 31 days in a month we'll have two odd days in a row.

We ask residents to please think about water usage and conserve where you can. Having green yards is attractive and desirable but not necessary. Lawns are extremely resilient. They go dormant when water isn't available resulting in brown crunchy turf but will rebound when water is available again. With the sandy soils we have in Becker it takes a lot of water to keep turf up. Allowing your lawn to go dormant saves water and expenses.

Water is a valuable resource, please use it wisely.