At the Sept. 5 meeting of the Osceola City Council, chairwoman of the Osceola Water Board Alisha Kale updated council on the current water situation at West Lake, informing them that as of that day, the water level was 61 inches below the spillway.
“This is the lowest recorded [level] it’s been since 2012,” said Kale, who said that in that year, the water had measured 63.5 inches below the spillway.
The last time the spillway was full and overflowing was May of 2020.
Conservation efforts
Since Sept. 2022, Osceola Water Works has had Osceola customers under some sort of water conservation, varying from Section 1: Water Watch – Voluntary Conservation Measures, to Section 2: Water Warning - Restrictions, the latter of which has been in effect since Aug. 3 of this year.
The ordinance for Section 2: Water Warning – Restrictions reads as follows:
A Water Warning may be declared when the water level in West Lake reaches an elevation 1069.0 feet above Mean Sea Level (3-feet below normal pool elevation of 1072.0 MSL). Under these conditions, no user shall use municipal water service in any manner contrary to the following:
A. Outdoor watering and irrigation is prohibited, except as follows.
B. Watering or irrigation of flower and vegetable gardens, trees and
shrubs less than four-years old, and new seeding or sod is permitted once a week with an application not to exceed one-inch. Watering shall only be done between the hours of 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
C. Car washing is prohibited, except at commercial establishments that provide that service.
D. No water shall be used to fill private swimming pools, children’s wading pools, reflecting pools or any other outdoor pool or pond.
E. No water shall be used to wash streets, parking lots, driveways, sidewalks or building exteriors.
F. No water shall be used for nonessential cleaning of commercial and industrial equipment, machinery, and interior spaces.
G. Water shall be served at restaurants only upon request of the customer.
H. Southern Iowa Rural Water Association (SIRWA) is requested to switch to their West Clarke system to the Creston source from the Osceola source when water level in West Lake reaches an elevation of 1069 feet above Mean Sea Level (3-feet below normal pool elevation of 1072.0 MSL.)
The following penalties shall apply for violations of Water Warning use restrictions imposed under this Ordinance:
A. First Violation: For a first violation, the Water Board shall issue a written notice of violation to the water user violating the water use restrictions imposed.
B. Second Violation: For a second violation, a $65 surcharge shall be imposed.
C. Subsequent Violations: For any subsequent violations, a $130 surcharge shall be imposed.
Third stage
Kale told council that the water board would be discussing the possibility of entering into the third stage of water conservation - Water Emergency - at their Sept. 7 board meeting. A water emergency can be declared once water levels are five feet below the spillway. It would require users to cease all outdoor water usage, except in certain cases such as a fire or for life preservation, such as watering livestock.
“A water crisis is Section 4, and that’s when we get at 6.5 feet below…If we don’t get some water quickly–we’re still using lots and lots of the water, so that’s why conservation is so important for us at this point,” said Kale.
At the Sept. 7 meeting of the Osceola Water Board, the board decided to table entering into Section 3 - Water Emergency for further discussion.
Exploring options
Kale said that the dive team that had been to West Lake earlier this year to assess the lower intake level were going to be back again over the weekend to again look at the intakes and take samples of the lake. With the decreased water levls and the current algae blooms, Kale advised that customers might start experiencing taste and odor issues with their water, but it is still safe to drink.
“Everything we produce will always be of high quality…when we have high algae blooms, we have to treat it differently,” said Kale.
In the late 70′s, Osceola found themselves in a water crisis and pumped water from the ponds at Sargent’s Quarry, a privately owned quarry located about six miles northwest of Osceola, into West Lake. Councilman Dan Hooper inquired if the same couldn’t be done again, as the water department has a pump and would just need the pipeline. Kale said that water superintendent Brandon Patterson and Water Works staff have been instructed to work with Emergency Management to look into all possibilities.
“We’ve been brainstorming since April of last year. We forecasted that we could be in this place…we’ve been meeting since September of last year, hoping we would not be where we are today, but with the mindset that we might be and what we need to be doing,” said Kale.
Staying informed
To keep abreast of the water conservation ordinances, Kale encouraged everyone to read their water bills, which contains important information.
She said that updates will be posted across various social media platforms like Facebook, the Water Works’ and the city’s website, Clarke County Life’s website, the newspaper, and other available communication avenues. Osceola Water Works is also looking into purchasing 10,000 calls through One Call to blast out communications that way.
Mayor Thomas Kedley and the council thanked Kale, the water department and board for working on solutions during the shortage, and reminded constituents to go directly to the source to find out correct information on the water situation.