KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana |Drought Forces City of Minden to Impose Water Restrictions

Drought Forces City of Minden to Impose Water Restrictions

    The drought that seems to have a grip on the ArkLaTex has one city resorting to more extreme measures. Minden has issued a call for residents to cut back on their usage, particularly the watering of their lawns. 
  Rick Broussard, Utilities Manager for the city of Minden, said the hot, dry weather has more people doing the job that nature should--frequently watering their grass with sprinklers to make up for the lack of rain.  
   "It's strictly irrigation. That's all it is," said Rick Broussard, utilities manager for the city of Minden.  "If the people were able to water their grass at different intervals when they don't all jump on the system at one time, it wouldn't be a problem as far as supply is concerned."
    As it stands, according to Broussard, residents are forcing the city to produce nearly twice as much water as usual. He said under normal circumstances, Minden, which draws its supply from a well system, produces between 1.8 million and 2 million gallons of potable water per day. Right now, it's producing close to 4 million gallons.
   "Like President Bush says, 'We're addicted to oil,' the city of Minden is addicted to water in the sense that they like green grass," he said.  "We're trying to educate people that it is a renewable resource, but we are using more water than what the ground is replenishing." 
   That may be a tough lesson for some residents to learn. The city has asked them to reduce their watering to every other day, depending on their home addresses.
   Anyone with an even-numbered address is limited to watering on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. People who live in odd-numbered homes are allowed to use sprinklers on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The city said no one should water on Sundays.
    This is at least the second year in a row that Minden has had to institute such restrictions, although last year they began later in the season, Broussard said.