The city of Fayetteville’s water and sewage division recently announced new water-use restrictions in certain parts of the city as an attempt to combat potential shortages from now until September. Assistant operations manager for Fayetteville water and sewage Aaron Watkins said these restrictions come in response to the rapid growth of the area.
"And unfortunately, the infrastructure water lines don't always keep up with that growth," Watkins said. "So in the hottest time of the year, during the summer, irrigation really adds to the amount of water that we use. The total amount. So the pipes, the size of the pipes can't support all of the usage in this, what happens are folks in higher elevations, they begin to lose pressure, or lose water. So that's when we asked for the restrictions. And at this time, we put it out from June 26 through Sept. 15."
East Fayetteville residents are being told to observe specific yard and landscaping irrigation schedules, depending on where they live.
"So currently, we're asking even-numbered houses to irrigate during the period of 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.," Watkins said. "And we would ask them to do that Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. And then odd numbers the same time 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. And then just be conscious of using water if you don't have to use it, don't use it. And if you do, you can reduce the amount that you use in general to areas basically the Highway 265 corridor extending into Goshen, and then the scene area that extends toward Elkins."
Watkins said the city is working on long-term solutions to Fayetteville’s growing need for water.
"It's something that has progressively gotten worse and become noticeable," Watkins said. "As we continue to add services, build homes, you know, add stress to our system as we continue to experience the growth. So we do master planning, but the growth has exceeded in all of Northwest Arkansas has exceeded almost everyone's plans in any type of infrastructure work. I think nationwide, this is going to become more of an issue, places that I've experienced a lot of growth, this is normal for them. And we are working to address these issues. We have some things they're already under construction. We have plans for construction, and then we're working on plans. It's just a matter of time and funding to accomplish that."
For more information on Fayetteville’s water restrictions and its long-term infrastructure plan, you can visit the city's website.
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