Today, Thursday, July 15, 2021, the City of Johnston lifted stage one of its Water Shortage Plan effective immediately because of reduced customer demand and lessening drought conditions.
Last month, the City of Johnston and Des Moines Water Works, the entity in which Johnston receives its water, implemented a voluntary 25 percent reduction in lawn watering. The Johnston Public Works Department would like to thank residents for this voluntary reduction. “Johnston businesses and residents reduced irrigation on average by 32 percent from our peak day,” said Matt Greiner, Public Works Director. “We appreciate the sensitivity to conserve our water supply within our community. As the summer heat continues, we strongly encourage the continuation of using water wisely.”
Recent rains have helped from both a river level and customer demand perspective, allowing the restriction to be lifted.
Des Moines Water Works continues to monitor water use and water quality daily. Conditions can change quickly and could lead to the reinstatement of the Water Shortage Plan. Specifically, Des Moines Water Works monitors for microcystin in both the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers daily. Microcystin is a toxin produced when harmful algae blooms are fueled by nitrogen and phosphorus contamination in surface waters.
As a result, the City of Johnston encourages all residential and business customers to continue to follow the Wise Water Use odd/even/no Monday lawn watering schedule: Recommended Wise Water Use Irrigation Schedule | Des Moines Water Works (dmww.com).
The metro area’s Water Shortage Plan could be re-implemented when water quality could affect system demand or cause pressure, quality, or availability issues.
Water quality can change daily. Customers should visit the utility’s website: www.dmww.com and follow DMWW on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (dsmh2o) for the most up-to-date information.
If you have questions on how irrigation is affecting your water bill, contact the Johnston Utilities Clerk at (515) 727-7772.