Osceola urges residents to use bottled water as water supply dwindles - Des Moines Register

Osceola urges residents to use bottled water as water supply dwindles

Iowa town urges 5,500 residents to drink bottled water as drought dwindles water source
Donnelle Eller

In southern Iowa, Osceola is urging its 5,500 residents to use bottled water to stretch the city’s water supply as extreme drought shrinks West Lake, its primary source of water.

In a notice this week, Osceola Mayor Ty Wheeler asked residents to switch from using tap to bottled water for their “drinking water needs.”

“This isn’t an order or a mandate. It is simply a request,” he said.

Cities across the state are struggling with declining water supplies as Iowa enters its fourth year of drought, the longest stretch in two decades. Nearly two-thirds of Iowa is gripped in severe or extreme drought, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed Thursday. Nearly all of Clarke County, where Osceola is county seat, is experiencing severe or extreme drought.

While exploring several options, Osceola asked state regulators in October to use treated wastewater to recharge West Lake. The request to pursue the $16.5 million project is pending with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

If the request is granted, Osceola would be the first in the state to recycle treated wastewater to supply drinking water.

More: Drier than the Dust Bowl: Iowa, facing more drought, preps for water shortages

By last week, Osceola Water Works said West Lake had dropped 6.5 feet from its normal level.

If West Lake levels drop another 2.5 feet, Osceola will begin distributing bottled water to residents, the city said. Another 3-foot drop will trigger emergency action, prompting the city to mandate bottled water use and request emergency state assistance, such as tankers of water.

If West Lake levels drop 4 more feet, the reduced water quality means the city could only use the water for fire suppression, Osceola Water Works said online.

An emergency city water proclamation would carry restricted commercial, industrial and residential water use as well as penalties.

“As raw water sources like Osceola’s West Lake shrink and the region faces unprecedented water challenges, responsible water consumption becomes not just a choice but a necessity,” the city said in its notice.

The city said residents’ water conservation practices so far have slowed West Lake’s declining levels.

The city said Walmart had donated three pallets of water, stationed at the Clarke Food Pantry. Local stores, including Hy-Vee and Fareway, assured the city that bulk water, including gallon jugs, are available.

Osceola officials say West Lake hasn’t had normal water levels in 24 months. “Without significant rain or water influx from another source, the drought will continue to cause issues both with raw water availability and treatment,” the city said.

West Lake lost water at a rate of roughly 2 inches per week in October and November, the city says.

Donnelle Eller covers agriculture, the environment and energy for the Register. Reach her at deller@registermedia.com or 515-284-8457.