CENTERTON — Centerton Utilities announced Monday it was lifting a mandatory moratorium that limited customers to water use only for “essential domestic purposes.”
The utility initially issued the moratorium to conserve water Friday, saying the demand for water had exceeded the utility’s ability to supply it. It requested that customers limit their water usage to drinking, cooking, bathing, sanitation and other necessary household uses.
“To protect the reliability of our water system and ensure an adequate supply for essential needs and fire protection, a temporary moratorium on all irrigation and other non-essential outdoor watering is hereby in effect,” Centerton Utilities wrote in a Facebook post Friday.
On Monday, the utility issued a statement saying the moratorium had been lifted, but requesting that customers continue to conserve water.
“We would like to thank those who put their community ahead of themselves and conserved water over the weekend,” the statement says. “Your efforts have allowed our Tower levels to recover.”
The utility’s wholesale water provider — Benton and Washington Regional Public Water Authority — is still requesting that Centerton Utilities follow a conservation order calling for an even/odd lawn watering schedule so that water demand does not outpace pumping capabilities, according to the statement.
People whose addresses end in odd numbers should limit outdoor water usage to early morning hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, according to Centerton Utilities. The utility requested that people with addresses ending in even numbers limit their outdoor water use to early mornings on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
“This conservation order is for irrigation meters only,” the statement says. “Agricultural meters, those that water livestock, chicken houses, etc., are not included in this conservation order.”
Businesses that require water as their primary source of operation, such as laundromats and car washes, are also exempt from the conservation order, according to the utility.
Centerton Utilities serves Centerton and portions of Bentonville, Gravette and Bella Vista.
The Benton and Washington Regional Public Water Authority issued a conservation order last week for customer cities affected by a line break over the previous weekend. This came after a 36-inch water line “blew out” on the west side of Arkansas 72 in the Pea Ridge area.
That order was lifted by July 21; however, General Manager Scott Borman said everyone needed to pitch in to help avoid over-stressing the water system.
The systems that were affected were Pea Ridge, Pea Ridge-Brush Creek, Centerton, Bella Vista Property Owners Association, Decatur, Highfill, Gentry, the Simmons Foods plant, Tontitown, Washington Water Authority, Lincoln, Westville and Prairie Grove.
