Posted By: Ashley Harding
aharding@klkntv.com
Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler says he will consider pardons for those ticketed with watering violations.
Thursday morning, Mayor Beutler announced that outdoor watering restrictions are no longer mandatory. The mayor says, however, residents should try to follow the watering schedule.
Mandatory restrictions went into effect Aug. 9 due to historically low Platte River flows below 300 cubic feet per second. The river flow this week exceeded 1,000 cfs for the first time in nearly two months. The city's goal for water use remains at 55 million gallons a day or less. Mayor Beutler says although the river flow is higher, he doesn't want resident to become complacent and remember that we need to be aware of the Platte River levels.
"For some people that work all day, I think it'll be better. Yeah, if you're working all day and you have to run home and water, that's difficult," Janice Sherman said.
And it's all thanks to a turnaround in the Platte river. Officials say the irrigation season for farmers is over, so that helped. Also, just cutting back on watering made a difference too!
Since August 9, 409 Lincoln residents have been issued citations for violating the water restrictions.
Now, the Mayor says they will consider pardons for those violations. The mayor says those who have received a citation must still go through the court process before requesting a pardon.
Those who have completed the court process can request a pardon by sending an e-mail to mayor@lincoln.ne.gov or sending a letter to the Mayor's Office at 555 S. 10th Street, Lincoln, NE 68508. All requests must include the full name, address and contact information.
All water customers are asked to follow the designated day schedule for all outdoor watering, including the washing of vehicles:
• Properties with street addresses ending in even numbers (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8) should limit outdoor water use to Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
• Properties with street addresses ending in odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7 and 9) should limit outdoor water use to Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
