Grafton lawn watering restrictions to preserve water through drought
GRAFTON, Wis. - The hot, dry June is putting stress on the Village of Grafton's water supply. Village leaders are asking people not to water their lawns during peak times.
With little rain, people are watering lawns and flower beds more often. The village administrator says the infrastructure can keep up for now, but there are things people can do to help keep the system in check.
"It needed flowers. It needed colors, and it’s fun," said Karen Kirkpatrick of Grafton.
Without much rain, she's been watering her flowers almost every afternoon.
"It’s like, instant satisfaction, you know, because you see it growing," said Kirkpatrick.
She's hopeful some natural watering is on its way.
"A little more would probably help because these plants are fairly new, and it would set them, I think, a little better," said Kirkpatrick.
A few blocks over, the Batcha family is also turning on the water.
"We are trying to fill the holes in our yard for one, and two, it’s hot. We wanted to refresh ourselves," said Chelsea Batcha.
With residents combatting the hot sun with sprinklers and hoses, Grafton's water supply is under stress.
"With the drought conditions, the aquifers aren’t getting re-charged," said Jesse Thyes, village administrator. "Our infrastructure is able to keep up, but we did want to proactively reach out to residents."
Village leaders are reminding people of the summer sprinkling ordinance. Odd-numbered addresses should water on odd-number days and even addresses on even days. The village is also requesting people do not water between 4:00 a.m. and 10 a.m., during peak usage hours. It's all to avoid any possible water quality issues down the road.
"We’re simply looking for cooperation here," said Thyes. "We’re not looking to really create problems for residents at all."
Kirkpatrick said she has no problem waiting until the afternoon.
"Especially late afternoon, the breeze, you know, it’s really nice," she said. "It’s perfect."
Village leaders said the lack of rain is also putting strain on the public works department staff as they are in charge of watering all the planters. Thyes said it's a big help if people adopt a planter near their home or business.
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