No end in sight for Standard water ban

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor

 

The village of Standard experienced a surge of phone calls from residents last week, after severe demands for water placed extreme pressures on the water treatment plant and plunged the 380 resident-strong village in an already month-long water-ban.
Standard issued the water ban on June 9, after the high demand resulted in water leaving the reservoir faster than could be replenished from the irrigation canal. At the peak of consumption 1000 litres per minute left the reservoir while only 700 litres per minute were produced. The high temperatures also warmed the water creating problems with Algae and causing difficulty in treating the water. With stresses on the system, Standard residents were forced to conserve their water and adhere to the ban – dropping consumption to 150 to 200 litres per minute.
“Once we put that water ban on, the consumption dropped dramatically,” said Leah Jensen, CAO for the village of Standard.
“We’re still trying to play catch-up in filling our reservoir and we were also running into some technical difficulties with our water plant, that we are still currently dealing with.”
While Jensen added that residents understood the predicament for the most part, she noticed an increase in phone calls being placed to the village last week. With extreme temperatures, water usage spiked, once again forcing the village to play catch-up.
“There were some places that were watering 24 hours in the heat of the day, and the demand was just astronomical,” Jensen said. “The more people do not comply with the water ban, the longer the ban will be on, and the longer it takes us to deal with the issues.”
Standard residents are asked to refrain from any outdoor watering, conserve as much water as possible, and be smart with their water-use. This includes watering of grass, trees, and filling pools and hot-tubs. The ban also includes bulk water, while people who require bulk water for consumption will continue be able to purchase it. In concurrence, Standard also issued a fire ban for the area.
The water ban is currently still in effect and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Residents were warned that the village will be forced into a complete water ban, if compliance is scant.