Russell Moves to Stage 2 Water Warning

Written By: Mike McKenna/Press Release
Published Date: 09-09-2023

Russell officials announced Saturday the city is moving to a Stage 2 Water Warning.

According to the press release, Big Creek is one of the city’s two water sources. Big Creek has stopped flowing over the low head dam immediately downstream from the city’s intake structure, a benchmark for moving to Stage 2 Water Warning.

The following mandatory water conservation measures for use of potable water from the City’s
municipal water supply system are in place until the water warning is terminated:

1. Waste of water is prohibited. This includes permitting water to escape down a gutter, ditch, or other surface drain and also failure to repair a controllable leak of water due to defective plumbing; and
2. No outdoor watering for residential or public grounds for gardens, lawns, trees, shrubs, water gardens, plants, parks, golf courses, and playing fields is prohibited except for one (1) day per calendar week, which shall be for each user be that property’s sanitation pickup day as designated by the City. Water on such days is permitted only before 10 AM and after 7 PM. If a customer has multiple sanitation pick-up days in a week, then outdoor water shall be permitted on only the first sanitation pickup day of the week for such a customer; and
3. Filling or refilling residential above and/or below-ground swimming pools is prohibited; and
4. Washing of motor vehicles, boats and trailers on a commercial or industrial property is prohibited except for commercial or industrial vehicles used in the operation of such business and as an ordinary and common practice to operate such business and except for the washing of vehicles at commercial truck and/or car washes; and
5. Washing of the exterior of any building or structure on any grounds is prohibited; and
6. Industrial and commercial users shall not water their lawns or non-commercial trees, shrubs and plants. Trees, shrubs and plats held for sale by commercial and retail sellers may be watered; and
7. Industrial users of water are required to reduce their consumption to an amount equivalent to 85% of the average use for the prior five (5) years for the month in question. 

The Stage 2 Water Emergency shall not restrict the use of city effluent water.

If you have any questions, call the City Clerk’s Office at 785-483-6311.

(Information courtesy of City of Russell.)