Dwindling water supply makes uncertain future for Osceola pool this summer - WHO TV 13 Des Moines News & Weather

Dwindling water supply makes uncertain future for Osceola pool this summer | who13.com

OSCEOLA, Iowa — The Osceola City Council this week voted to close the swimming pool this summer. That decision was then vetoed by Osceola Mayor, Thomas Kedley.

For months now Osceola city leaders have been trying to do whatever they can to conserve water, as a lack of rain has led to the town’s water supply to dwindle. West Lake’s level keeps dropping even after some recent rains.

The issue has been complicated by a planned pool liner replacement. That should not be a problem for the summer swimming season. However, the City of Creston committed to selling water to the city for the Osceola pool this summer. The problem, however, is that the water going into the pool after the liner project needs to be filled quickly, and tanked in water would take too long, and the liner would not cure correctly.

“The point of the veto was to slow down the process so we could take it until March 1 to make a decision as a community,” said Mayor Kedley. “How are we gonna move forward? What solutions do we have moving forward? It’s not as easy as pumping in water because we have a project going on it has to be filled the normal way.”

Kedley said they are working with the Iowa DNR to secure a permit to truck water from two small area lakes into the West Lake water supply. That way the water could be drawn in like normal to enable the pool liner to be completed. The City has until March 1 to let the contractor know if they can proceed.

“We’re getting to the point where emergency proclamations might need to be made,” said Kedley. “If our water level gets any lower, we have a line in the sand, or a line at the water level, I guess you’d say, when we would enact the emergency proclamation to ask for the State National Guards help with this water crisis.”

Kedley did not specify what the proclamations might be, but he said they could take place in the near future. He also praised Osceola residents for water conservation efforts.

“So the conservation efforts our community is doing, I just have to applaud them and commend them for their commitment to it,” said Kedley. “It is helping, the school is going above and beyond with their water conservation efforts, the community overall, our residents are going above and beyond, our industries are cutting back on their water use so everyone is trying to do their part and it is helping, every little bit does help.”

The pool season in Osceola still remains uncertain. The Mayor said a City Council super-majority could over-ride his veto, and the pool would close this summer.