Officials ask St. Paul residents to limit watering amid ongoing drought

Emily Baude KSTP

City officials are asking St. Paul residents to consider water conservation measures as drought conditions worsen across Minnesota.

St. Paul Regional Water Services (SPRWS) is asking customers to intermittently water outdoors starting on Thursday, Sept. 7, according to a news release from the agency.

The SPRWS suggests St. Paul residents use the “odd/even” watering method, where customers with odd-numbered addresses water on odd-numbered days of the month, and vice versa.

SPRWS is also requesting customers restrict the time they spend watering to either before noon, or after 6 p.m., in order to decrease the amount of water that evaporates in the hottest part of the day.

“We do not anticipate any service issues,” said SPRWS General Manager Patrick Shea. “These conservation measures will help ensure we are using resources responsibly as Mississippi River flow levels continue to drop during drought conditions.”

To conserve water further, SPRWS suggests St. Paul residents leave lawn clippings on the grass to cool the ground, take shorter showers, run the dishwasher only when full and water grass only when needed.

However, SPRWS also says there are some exceptions to their request, such as watering new sod or see if daily watering is required, and commercial uses of outdoor water, such as community gardens and nurseries.

For the Department of Natural Resources Drought Action Plan, CLICK HERE.

Last week the U.S. Drought Monitor said no parts of Minnesota were in exceptional drought, and just over 10% was in an extreme drought. On Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported the percentage of land in an extreme drought at 16.1%, while 1.4% of the state is now experiencing an exceptional drought.