Lincoln water restrictions being evaluated daily, water still safe to drink

On Monday, Mayor Chris Beutler held another news conference to give an update on the city’s efforts to get the wells back into service and emphasized the water is still safe to drink.

Lincoln Transportation and Utilities issued a statement saying, “Mandatory water restrictions are being evaluated on a daily basis as crews work diligently to restore power and repair damage at the City of Lincoln wellfields. As soon as water production is restored to more adequate levels, the restrictions will be lifted.”

To be clear, the mandatory water reduction is still in place, but the mayor had some good news.

“We’re pleased to report at this time, our production has increased to 32 million per day and we’re replenishing our reservoirs,” Beutler said.

He said that’s enough to meet the city’s needs for drinking and sanitation.

He said the transportation and utilities team is working on increasing that amount by restoring power to more of the city’s wells and repairing damages.

He said he’s also asking the city council to approve a resolution that would extend the emergency declaration beyond 72 hours, if needed.

Again, Mayor Beutler emphasized that our water is safe to consume and that the flooding has not contaminated it.

Here is the mayor’s full press release:

Mayor Chris Beutler on Monday said the City is taking steps to acquire federal and state resources to more quickly repair and stabilize Lincoln’s flood-damaged water production facilities at the Platte River.

“We have contacted the Governor’s Office and asked him to issue a disaster declaration for the City of Lincoln. The declaration is needed to request the state and federal funding that will help us restore our water production. We must take every precautionary measure to protect our water supply. The Governor is going to bat for us,” Beutler said. “I am asking the City Council to approve a resolution today that allows the emergency declaration to extend beyond 72 hours, if necessary. This gives us some flexibility on requesting state and federal funding to assist us in our efforts. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and monitoring the situation around the clock.”

On Sunday, Beutler announced mandatory water restrictions for Lincoln residents following a temporary lapse in water production at the City wellfields near Ashland. Residents did not see a disruption in service because the reservoir system was full enough to maintain operations. Water production has resumed, although at a rate lower than normal. Lincoln’s supply of drinking water is safe.

Level 2 Water Use Restriction Emergency will remain in effect until further notice. Hospitals and care facilities are exempt from the restrictions. The Level 2 mandatory restrictions include:

• 25 percent reduction of all industrial, commercial and institutional water use;
• 50 percent reduction of all residential indoor water use;
• Outdoor water use is prohibited;
• Commercial car washes must be shut down;
• Washing of fleets of vehicles, such as garbage trucks, vehicles delivering food and perishable items, emergency and sludge vehicles is only permitted between midnight and 6 a.m.;
• Water is served to restaurant patrons upon request only;
• Retailers, suppliers and manufacturers will be contacted to provide increased water supplies of bottled water and non-alcoholic beverages;
• Restaurants and institutions with food service shall use non-washable/disposable table settings;
• All bars and liquor-serving establishments shall use single service or disposable glasses;
• Golf course watering and air conditioning using Lincoln Water System sources is prohibited; and
• Water shortage rates may be imposed.

Beutler said early efforts to conserve water have been successful. “We are encouraged this morning as even very early in the water restrictions we saw a dip in the water use–about 1 million gallons–when everyone was getting ready for work or school. That’s a good sign. We are making progress and we are hopeful that will continue,” Beutler said. “I cannot thank enough our residents who are stepping up and taking action to reduce our water consumption. We all need to continue these efforts for the next several days.”

Water is now restricted to indoor use only. Residents are asked shorten showers and postpone dishwashing and laundry. Residents are encouraged to visit water.lincoln.ne.gov/flood for the latest Lincoln Water System operations updates during Platte River flooding.