Council reviews early-season water-conservation guidance but delays enforceable restrictions
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Summary
Beaver City staff proposed an early-season water-conservation letter with voluntary measures (nighttime watering windows, cycle-and-soak, xeriscape incentives) to send before water system turn-on on April 6; council removed a prescriptive "every third day" watering schedule from the draft and asked staff to include river-flow trigger points and public-notice procedures.
City Manager Monty Hawkins presented draft early-season water-conservation guidance on March 24 and recommended the council send voluntary conservation suggestions to residents ahead of the irrigation-system turn-on (scheduled to begin April 6).
Hawkins outlined measures drawn from water-master Brett Black's recommendations: limit irrigation to 9 p.m. to 9 a.m., use cycle-and-soak watering to avoid runoff, avoid watering in windy conditions, maintain sprinkler heads, and consider drought-tolerant landscaping. He said supplemental well pumping may be needed later in the season and that those costs would be passed on to users.
Council debated how prescriptive the guidance should be. Owen Spencer (identified as President of Beaver City) advised including river-flow trigger levels in the public letter so residents could see when restrictions would escalate. Several councilors said prior "every third day" rules had led to unintended heavier use because residents watered longer sessions; the council removed the specific "every third day" schedule from the draft and agreed to emphasize voluntary guidance now with enforceable restrictions reserved for a future resolution if river flows decline.
Hawkins said the initial letter will be distributed the week before the system turn-on; staff will include river-flow thresholds and a plan for timely public notification if conditions change.
No formal resolution was adopted at the March 24 meeting; councilors instructed staff to finalize the advisory language and return with any required resolution if they decide to enact enforceable restrictions later.