What needs to happen for a water ban to be enacted?

Minnesotans have become quite familiar with drought in recent years. Not only how it affects the water supply, but also the rules that can come with it.

Annika Bankston, the Director of the Division of Water Treatment and Distribution Services for Minneapolis, says the city has been closely monitoring the Mississippi watershed, which supplies the city's drinking water. Despite expanding drought conditions, she said restrictions haven't been needed yet.

"Minneapolis residents have been doing a great job of using water very efficiently, and so our demands have been within the management targets that we're looking at," she said. "Typically, at this stage of drought, we like to be within 50% of our January winter use."

In January, Minneapolis and the cities it serves water to use about 50 million gallons per day. In June, it reached around 60 million gallons per day.

But this week, Bankston said usage reached 70-75 million gallons per day. That's right on the cusp of surpassing a 50% increase from January levels. Because of that, Bankston said the city plans to announce what she called "common sense" suggestions instead of restrictions.

"Water only where and when needed. If your lawn can go an extra day or two without watering, do it. Again, many grasses need only an inch of water a week," she said.

But Bankston said if river levels drop further or demand increases, actual restrictions could happen. The first step would be odd/even day watering restrictions.

After that would be a full watering ban. Minneapolis enacted such a ban in 2021 for about three months due to the intense drought in the summer and fall of that year. The ban encompassed more than just home sprinkler systems, like decorative fountains and splashpads.

"Not certainly things we'd want to do, but we'd start partnering, looking at some those more recreational water, outdoor water use in the city," said Bankston.

Many cities use odd/even day watering restrictions every summer, including Coon Rapids. Earlier this month, the city took its restrictions a step further, restricting sprinkling and irrigation to only 4 a.m. to 9 a.m.

A spokesperson told WCCO that Coon Rapids made the decision based on recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, stating on its website that the agency's "goal for all public water suppliers, based on the Minnesota Statewide Drought Plan, is to reduce water use to 50% above January usage levels to help protect drinking water supplies and natural resources."

The methodology is similar to what Bankston described earlier for Minneapolis.

Menomonie, Wisconsin, has been under a watering ban since mid-month when its water tower levels dropped due to high demand.

Residents also had to deal with a boil water order for several days. The watering ban was supposed to end Saturday but was recently extended to Aug. 18.

Minneapolis doesn't rely on water towers. It has underground reservoirs near its treatment campus in Fridley.

"When you think about water production for a given city, it's taking water from the source, whether that's groundwater or river water, producing it and then storing it so it's ready to drink," she said. "Minneapolis has ample production and storage capacity. So, for us it's less about managing that reservoir storage level and again looking at overall demands and river conditions specifically."