WATERWORKS: Peak Water Alert

     Hot, dry weather has increased customer water demand for irrigation, recreation and hydration.  As a result, the Central Iowa Regional Drinking Water Commission (CIRDWC), a collaboration of 22 drinking water utility entities from the Des Moines metro area, has issued a peak water alert for the Des Moines metro area.

The peak water alert program is issued when temperatures are expected to exceed 95 degrees, a heat wave is in progress, there is no rain fall and none forecasted for the upcoming days and/or we are approaching a record pumpage for the day.

Randy Weavers,General Manager of Des Moines Waterworks, says there is enough water to support the Des Moines Area, but he reminds customers to be conscientious of how much water they use. Here are some tips provided by Des Moines Waterworks, that you can do to help conserve your water:

• Customers should voluntarily avoid lawn watering during the daytime hours of 10 a.m. to 5 P.M.
• Customers should shift watering from no more than the odd-numbered days of the week if their address ends in an odd number or even-numbered days if your address ends in an even number. So if your address was 1995, you would want to water the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th days of the week. They usually only need it every other day.
• Test your irrigation system each spring so that there are no leaky sprinkler heads and that the water is shooting in the right direction
• Avoid laying sod the during July and the first three weeks of August.  It’s usually the hottest part of the year to be planting anyway.