June 26, 2009

City reminds residents about water conservation

ENTERPRISE, Ala. – The City of Enterprise Water Works Department would like to remind residents that they are on a mandatory year-round water conservation schedule. All customers, who use the City of Enterprise water systems, must adhere to the mandatory compliance of an odd/even watering schedule in order to help conserve water.

All irrigation systems that use hose sprinklers or buried sprinklers for watering lawns, gardens, landscaped areas, trees, shrubs, and other plants must adhere to the following water schedule:

1.)    Odd-numbered street addresses will water on Monday, Wednesday, & Friday.

2.)    Even-numbered street addresses will water on Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday.

This restriction shall not apply to commercial nurseries, newly sodden lawns for two weeks after the sod is laid, or any handheld garden hoses or water containers. These can be used Monday through Saturday for small areas that might need more watering, but residents should be advised to only use water on a necessary basis. There will be absolutely NO watering on Sunday by commercial or private individuals.

“Although our water supply has not reached a critical state, I believe it is extremely important that we continue to conserve water especially with the very hot temperatures and little rain we have experienced over the last few weeks,” said City of Enterprise Mayor Kenneth W. Boswell.

The Water Works Department is encouraging all Enterprise citizens to do their part and help conserve water for future needs.

            “If residents abide by the odd/even watering schedule, we do not expect to reach a critical state with our water system,” said City of Enterprise Water Works Superintendent, Alan Mahan. “However, there is not an unlimited amount of water, so it is extremely important that we be proactive today in conserving water for tomorrow.”

According to Mahan, water usage doubles during the summer months. The Enterprise water system pumps on average 3.5 million gallons of water a day. In the summer, without mandatory watering restrictions, the Water Works Department has seen the system pump up to 9 million gallons a day. The City hopes to decrease those numbers this summer.

Mayor Boswell hopes to continue to see positive results from the City’s “Conserve Today, Survive Tomorrow” Water Conservation Campaign that began in late March of this year.

As part of the Conservation Campaign, the city would like to remind residents they should not only be conscious of the amount of water they are using outside, but also of the amount of water they are using around their house every day. Taking shorter showers, turning the water off while brushing teeth, or not filling the bath tub all the way up are simple tasks that can greatly reduce the amount of water a household uses on a daily basis.

 “Conservation is extremely important to the Water Works Department and the City of Enterprise,” said Mayor Boswell. “In our resource-constrained world, our sustainability relies heavily on our ability to focus on conservation of natural resources.”

The City of Enterprise Water Works Board would like to re-emphasize that this is a precautionary measure taken to ensure the safety and quality of life for residents during the warmer months. Anyone with questions should call City Hall at 347-1211.

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