Nicholas Gaul, General Manager of the Regional Water Rural Water Association, says  “Due to heightened customer usage while dry water table conditions persist, in order to protect public health, Regional Water is moving to Action Level Yellow of our water conservation plan.” Gaul says “All Regional Water customers in Shelby, Harrison, Audubon Counties, and in Pottawattamie County north or east of the City of Neola, are now on Mandatory Water Use Restrictions.” Gaul says “We must also ask for residents and businesses in the towns of Portsmouth, Earling, Panama, Elk Horn, Avoca, Brayton, Minden, and Exira to abide by these additional restrictions.”

The restrictions include:

1.)    No outdoor watering or irrigation of any kind between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM.  No watering or irrigation of lawns whatsoever.  Watering of flowers, vegetable gardens, trees or shrubs less than four years old, and new seedlings is permitted once per week, with an application not to exceed one inch.
2.)    No car washing, except at commercial establishments that provide car washing as their only means of income.  For commercial car washes, hours of use must be restricted to 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
3.)    No water shall be used to fill private swimming pools, children’s wading pools, or similar articles.
4.)    No water shall be used to clean streets, driveways, sidewalks, etc.
5.)    For necessary agricultural and industrial water usages, such as the filling of spraying tanks, reduce the flow rate and fill over a longer period, including overnight, to reduce the instantaneous demand on our system.
6.)    Water flow may be reduced or terminated as needed to protect the system’s integrity, including to customers who are found to be not following rules.
7.)    Customers with large meters (1” and larger) will pay a higher rate during the June meter reading period, as the last “step rate” shall be suspended.
8.)    Customers of Regional Water who use more water in the June meter reading period than their winter average shall be charged an additional premium of ten cents per one thousand gallons over their winter average.  Customers who normally use three thousand gallons or less in the winter and still use only three thousand gallons or less in the June meter reading period will NOT be affected.