City lifts water ban that's been in place since 2012

Luverne City Council members took action at their Tuesday night meeting to lift a watering ban that has been in place since 2012.
Adequate spring rains and winter snow melt have raised the static levels of city wells, but Luverne water users also have the luxury of a guaranteed source from the Missouri River aquifer.
In March the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System officially reached Luverne, which signed up to receive up to 821,000 gallons per day.
The treated water is softer and less expensive than what comes from local wells, which is harder water and requires more treatment.
Since March 18, Luverne has been served 100 percent by the piped-in water from Lewis and Clark.
Eventually it will be mixed with local water from the city’s north well field. The city’s south well field by the airport will be placed on standby, activated only if needed.
Those south wells are particularly high in manganese and other minerals that make it more expensive to treat, so it makes more sense for the city to rely more on Lewis and Clark water.
At their April 19 meeting, council members discussed their water options and celebrated the fact that Luverne has finally secured a reliable water source.
“It’s time to go out and celebrate,” Mayor Pat Baustian remarked, adding that it will put Luverne in a better place for future industrial growth.
Luverne will always have the option to fall back on local water supplies, should something go wrong with Lewis and Clark, according to City Administrator John Call.
He said Luverne will have 2 million gallons in storage and 600,000 gallons in water towers, plus the reserves Lewis and Clark keeps on hand.
Baustian said it’s worth celebrating in light of the fact that many other cities continue to suffer from lack of water or poor quality water.
“The DNR is putting limits on new wells and what we can pull from the ground, and the governors surrounding the Great Lakes are having to protect that fresh water source,” Baustian said.
He said 20 percent of the world’s fresh water comes from the Great Lakes, and surrounding utilities are increasingly eyeing that water as a public source.
Along those same lines, Luverne council members briefly discussed the importance of caring for public water infrastructure, especially in light of the Flint Michigan lead emergency.
The water that caused residents to get sick had 11,000 parts per billion. When Luverne’s water was last tested it contained 6.9 ppb, well under the 15 ppb allowed by health officials.
The council remarked that Luverne’s been fortunate to have good leadership through the years that also recognized the importance of funding depreciation.
Call said Luverne’s utility rates have always been set with a certain amount earmarked for future expensive water main repairs, replacements or other major projects.
Cities that don’t plan for these expenses often find themselves borrowing funds in emergency situations.
With the watering ban that was lifted Tuesday, there are still restrictions in light of conserving water.
Lawn watering is allowed from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. (because daytime watering is wasteful with evaporation). Odd-numbered addresses can water on odd-numbered days, and even-numbered addresses on even-numbered dates.
Exceptions can be made for new seedlings and new lawns or sod, as well as for hand garden watering.