County updates water-conservation code to include operational triggers and notification methods

Public Utilities Director Katie Legge presented a revised emergency water-conservation ordinance tied to a recent groundwater withdrawal permit renewal. The update retains operating-volume reservoir triggers but adds operational triggers such as loss of treatment capacity, damaged or inoperable wells, chemical-supply failures, extended power outages and a monthly required-capacity metric based on a three-year monthly average.

Legge described threshold levels: a warning at roughly 85% of expected capacity and an emergency trigger at about 75% of expected capacity for the relevant month; she emphasized the code adds modern notification channels such as social media and email to earlier radio/newspaper requirements. The board adopted the revised ordinance; staff will update the formal water-conservation management plan and notify DEQ as required by the county's permit obligations.

Why it matters: The code change gives county staff additional, non-drought operational triggers to issue conservation warnings or emergencies, clarifying how the county will respond to treatment, supply and distribution threats beyond reservoir level alone.