LOWELL, Ind. — The City of Lowell and Lowell Charter Township announced Tuesday an effort to reduce outdoor watering for municipal customers through the end of summer.
The restriction that is in effect immediately limits when residents and businesses can water their lawns and landscaping to minimize the burden on the city’s water treatment plant during these dry, hot months.
City officials point to a recent double-digit spike in water demand as the reason for the new limits. They did note this does not affect water used for drinking and bathing purposes.
Under the restriction, outdoor watering is allowed for properties in the city and township with an address that ends in an odd number on odd days. For example, an address of 611 can water on the first, third, fifth, seventh, etc. day of the month. For properties with an even address – for example, 610 – outdoor watering is allowed on the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, etc. day of the month.
“Our water treatment plant has a limit on the amount of water it can produce and, with recent demand, we are pushing the limit,” Lowell City Manager Mike Burns said.
“Outdoor watering makes up a significant portion of our consumption during the warmer months. As we experience a hot, dry stretch and look ahead to more of the same in the coming months, it is important for us to take proactive steps to prevent an outright ban on landscape irrigation."
Lowell Charter Township Supervisor Jerry Hale is asking the community for their compliance.
“Working together, we can level the demand and maintain the sustainability of the current water system,” Hale said. “This short-term restriction will have long-term dividends for all of us.”
The City of Lowell and Lowell Charter Township get their water from four ground wells that draw from the Grand River watershed.
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