City of Minot asks users to temporarily limit outdoor water usage
Public Works Director Dan Jonasson is asking Minot residents and
all users of City of Minot water to temporarily limit outdoor water usage to help balance demands
at the water treatment plant, effective immediately. Besides the city of Minot,
other users of Minot water include rural water systems, Minot Air Force Base, and
those who receive water through the Northwest Area Water Supply system.
Jonasson said the restrictions are due to four wells in the raw water system that have failed,
limiting the amount of water that can be produced at the Minot Water Treatment Plant. Four of the
14 wells that provide water to the City are temporarily unusable after pumps and motors failed.
Jonasson said because of the recent warm temperatures and little rainfall, water usage in the city
has risen to about 11 million gallons per day, approximately two million gallons a day more than the
treatment plant can currently produce with the limited amount of incoming raw water. “Right now, with
four of our wells down, we’re using more water than we can produce every day,”
Jonasson said. “To make sure we have enough water for drinking and other essential needs,
we’re asking users to limit things like lawn watering, car washing, and outdoor sprinkler
usage.” Water Plant employees and contractors are working to repair the equipment at the wells,
but are waiting on parts such as pumps and motors. It’s expected to take up to two weeks before all
of the wells are operating. “We appreciate the public adjusting their water usage,” Jonasson said.
“By doing this, we hope we can maintain an adequate supply of water for essential uses and we
won’t have to implement stricter water use restrictions.” Jonassson said facilities that recycle water,
like car washes and splash pads, can continue to operate unless overall daily usage
levels aren’t reduced throughout the system. If usage cannot be reduced to meet
the plant capacity, stricter measures will need to be implemented.