A Des Moines metro city that is not part of Central Iowa Water Works is asking its residents to help avoid issues with the water supply.
Altoona asked residents on Monday, June 23 to voluntarily cut back on lawn watering through the end of the month to reduce the demand on city utilities from summer heat. The city has asked residents to water their lawns every other day or either in the morning or evening hours to reduce the amount of water that’s lost to evaporation.
The city suggested no one water on Mondays; residents with odd-numbered addresses water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; and even-numbered addresses water Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
“Participating in this program can help your lawn stay green and the city save vital resources,” according to the announcement.
Much of the rest of the metro is under a ban on lawn watering enacted by Central Iowa Water Works. The regional water authority enacted the ban June 12 in a bid to ensure that utilities facing high levels of nitrates in the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers will be able to process enough water to serve residents and businesses’ essential needs while meeting legal health standards.
CIWW’s lawn watering ban is expected to be in place for weeks.
Altoona is not part of CIWW. City spokesperson Adam Bowersox previously said in an email that the city’s water source is the Jordan Aquifer and there are no issues with nitrates from that source.
Phillip Sitter covers the suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. Find out more about him online in the Register’s staff directory.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Altoona asks its residents to cut back on lawn watering through the end of the month
Reporting by Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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