(10/08) At the October 2nd Town Council meeting, Town Manager Cathy Willets told the Council the Town may have to implement mandatory water restrictions due to the drought which has resulted in inadequate levels of water in Rainbow Lake. As of October 1st, the lake measured 14.9 feet, which is 1.7 feet below the spillway level, which represents roughly a nine million gallons of water deficit in the lake, or 90 days worth of water supply from the lake, Willets said.

The need to move to mandatory water restrictions arose after the Town received little to no results following its imposition of voluntary water restrictions in August, said Willets.

In addition to Rainbow Lake, the Town receives water from five wells whose level is also slowly dropping as a result of the lack of rain. At the end of August, the Town had a precipitation deficit of 4.21 inches over the last six months.

Recent rains have not been enough to make a dent in the water levels of the lake or wells. "Even if the lake is filled back up [from more rain], we still have to deal with the quality of water in the lake, which is the biggest factor in setting and removing water restrictions," she said.

Rainbow Lake water quality deteriorates as its levels drop, Willets said. When the water in the lake gets to a certain low level, it becomes murky, resulting in costly and time-consuming efforts to clean the water so it is safe to drink.

"When the quality of the water in the lake deteriorates, it causes water filters in the water plant to clog, which results in the need for water plant staff to backwash them more frequently. Due to the quality of the water, the town is pulling out of Rainbow Lake, the town is currently performing four backwashes a day and has had to turn on all five town water well pumps to make up for loss of water that the lake in no longer able to provide."

The percentage of water that normally comes from Rainbow Lake versus the wells varies depending on time of year and weather, according to Willets. "For example, in September 2022, 48% of the town’s water came from wells and 52% from the lake. In September 2023, 61% came from wells and 39% from the lake."

Mandatory restrictions would restrict outside usage of water including filling swimming pools, washing cars and watering lawns. Penalties for non-compliance for residents can include a warning for a first offense, a $50 fine for a second offense, and a $75 fine per offense for subsequent violations.

The town last implemented mandatory restrictions in October 2020.

With voluntary water restrictions currently in place, residents are strongly encouraged to comply and continue commonsense water conservation including limiting length of showers and not washing their car. "Our main goal is compliance and saving water. So, we always work with people and educate them," Willets said.