OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The Metropolitan Utilities District (MUD) is asking customers to limit outdoor water usage due to reduced capacity at least through Sunday.
It's all voluntary, but it's asking customers not to water their yards, fill up swimming pools, hose down driveways or run fountains.
MUD is at "greatly" reduced capacity at the Florence water treatment plant after a significant water main break Tuesday night. The type of main that broke is 48 inches wide. For comparison, a main that runs along a street is six inches wide.
"It's very rare," said Stephanie Mueller, MUD's head of customer experience. "We keep an eye on these transmission mains because they're critical to our infrastructure."
More demand in extreme temperatures is also putting stress on the distribution system, Mueller said.
"We're proceeding with an abundance of caution," she said.
Omaha Parks and Recreation said it's limited water use, though splash pads are staying on as a public service.
Last year, 3 News Now reported MUD, like utilities across the country, was seeing more and more water main breaks as the water systems age. MUD has a program to replace aging mains, but representatives said they couldn't answer Wednesday if the main that broke was scheduled for replacement. The cause of the break is still being investigated, Mueller said.
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Read the news release here:
Metropolitan Utilities District is urging its water customers to temporarily limit outdoor water use until repairs can be completed on a water main break that has reduced capacity at one of its water production facilities.
Customers are asked to halt outdoor water use through Sunday, July 30, to help reduce water demands to ensure continued reliability to the entire system during this period of extreme temperatures.
Please restrict the following activities:
- Irrigating/Sprinkling lawns (unless for new sod)
- Filling swimming pools
- Hosing down driveways
- Running decorative fountains
As part of restrictions, M.U.D. is working with municipalities, including wholesale water customers served by M.U.D., to curtail sewer flushing, lake filling, firefighting drills, street washing and other non-essential uses of water.
For more tips, visit mudomaha.com and search Water Conservation [mudomaha.com].
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