Fishers declares water emergency

FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) - The Town of Fishers declared a water emergency and issued an order for a Mandatory Water Conservation Friday.

The restriction will go into effect on Monday and applies to all Fishers residents receiving water from all sources other than wells.

"Last Friday, Citizens Water asked customers to stop watering their lawns for one week, on a voluntary basis," said Carey Lykins President and CEO of Citizens Water. "While we've seen positive results from that request, water usage still remains much higher than average and reservoir levels continue to drop. Mandatory water restrictions are now necessary to maintain proper water pressure and to ensure adequate water supplies for all Central Indiana customers throughout the summer."

Under the Effective Conservation Water Ordinance, water usage is prohibited in the following cases:
• Sprinkling, watering or irrigating of grass;
• Washing cars, trucks, trailers, mobile homes, railroad cars or any other type of mobile equipment, except as required by applicable local, state or federal law for health or safety reasons;
• Using water to clean sidewalks, driveways, paved areas, structures, buildings or other outdoor surfaces;
• Filling empty swimming pools;
• Installing new landscaping or new lawn by using sod until return to normal conditions are declared by city water;
• Using hydrants except for fire suppression or as otherwise directed by city water; and
• Operating water fountains that are non-recycling.
During the mandatory water conservation order, vegetable gardens may be watered every other day by container or hand-held hose equipped with shut-off nozzle. Only the following are exempt from the order:
• Nurseries, provided water use is limited to the amount essential to preserve inventories.
• Automatic commercial car washes, provided a majority of the water used is recycled;
• Manual commercial car washes, provided only a handheld hose equipped with a shut-off nozzle is utilized;
• Golf courses, provided tee boxes and greens are watered only on an every other day schedule that begins on Monday of each week and fairways are watered only once per week on Thursday; and
• Any watering of property owned or controlled by the town Department of Parks and Recreation where such watering is necessary or appropriate for asset preservation.

For more information on this ordinance or to report a violation, please call the Town of Fishers at 317-595-3160.