According to the latest US Drought Monitor, there is no longer a drought in Oneida County and for almost all Southeastern Idaho. However, that doesn’t mean that we should consider ourselves drought free. We live in a high desert; and as such, we will always be susceptible to drought. Hopefully, the last few years have taught us how to be careful with our precious resource of water. As a city, we would ask that residents continue practicing conservative methods for outside watering. 

Last year a resident contacted the city and asked that we consider having a class on Xeriscaping. For that reason, the city is going to partner with the Oneida County Library for Arbor Day this year and sponsor a class to teach about native plants and trees for our area. This will take place in early June, so please watch for information regarding this demonstration.

Xeriscape gardening refers to a type of gardening that requires very little water and maintenance. There are seven principles of xeriscaping, which includes water conservation, soil improvement, turf usage, use of native plants, mulch, irrigation, and maintenance. In addition to choosing native plants and trees, there are watering methods that save a lot of water, such as drip irrigation, knowing the right time of day to water, and grouping together plants that need the same amounts of water.

Some people use only part of the principles of xeriscaping. Whatever methods are used, managing your water use is much appreciated; however, we don’t want people to think that they shouldn’t water at all. Sometimes it is surprising how little water your grass needs to stay green. It doesn’t always require watering every day for long periods of time.

The city will continue with our watering hours of 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. as long as it works with the new improvements made to our booster pumps. Those with automatic sprinkling systems may water during the night if you are using a timer. We ask that for those customers using Deep Creek water, you not water from a running hose because it causes the system to lose pressure. Even for those using city water, running water from a hose without a sprinkler can waste hundreds of gallons of water. If you don’t want to use a sprinkler, the best thing to do is to use drip irrigators or a soaker hose. 

Thank you for your efforts to conserve water! We are happy that spring is finally here! 

By next month, the city is hoping to have a plan in place to help residents identify the type of water pipes coming into their homes to comply with the federal government’s new plan to protect communities from lead pipes and paint. This will mean eventually replacing all lead pipes throughout the community, including any coming into your home. More information will be provided in future newsletters and press releases.