Storm Lake urges voluntary water conservation amid dry conditions

Storm Lake has asked residents to curb lawn watering, car washing and other everyday water use as warm, dry conditions and rising seasonal demand push the city’s system toward its limit. The voluntary conservation plan, activated Thursday, May 14, applies not only in Storm Lake but also to users in Lakeside, Truesdale and other parts of the municipal system.

City officials said the goal is to keep enough treated water available for homes, businesses and an emergency reserve that could be needed for firefighting. Buena Vista County and surrounding northwest Iowa are already listed as Abnormally Dry on the U.S. Drought Monitor, and Storm Lake says peak-season demand can climb as high as 5 million gallons a day.

The city is urging residents to water lawns only when needed, and preferably early or late in the day. Officials also want backyard pools kept from overflowing, vehicle washing reduced, power washing limited and leaks fixed quickly in faucets, pipes and toilets. Even small drips, the city said, can add up across a community of 11,431 people served by the Storm Lake water system.

The conservation notice comes as Storm Lake tries to hold demand at a level it can sustain while it plans a new water plant. The city says its current treatment facility, built in 1978 and upgraded in 2002, 2004 and 2014, is running near maximum capacity year-round and cannot push additional water through the aging plant. A January report from the Water Treatment Plant Ad Hoc Committee said the existing plant is far beyond the typical 20-year lifespan for such a facility.

That committee said a new plant could increase capacity from 5 million gallons per day to 8 million gallons per day, and estimated design and construction could take four to five years. A March 9 request for qualifications said a preliminary engineering report recommends an 8.8 million-gallon-per-day facility to meet current and future needs. Proposals for engineering design services were due April 3.

Storm Lake has already put major money into the system. A July 2024 report said the city had spent more than $15 million over the previous seven years on water infrastructure, including wells and a new tower. The city’s newest water tower, a 1.75-million-gallon composite-pedestal tower, is the largest in city history and provides temporary breathing room, but officials have said it is not enough on its own.

If voluntary conservation does not hold demand down, the city could move toward mandatory restrictions later. That possibility is why officials are pressing households now, before hot-weather usage and growth in Storm Lake, Lakeside and Truesdale force a harder response.