Water woes: Irrigation to be restricted in Lewiston

Apr. 25—Irrigation will generally be prohibited for most city of Lewiston water customers starting May 2 until an intermediary repair is completed on one of the town's largest reservoirs.

Lewiston's Public Works Director Dustin Johnson provided the update Monday at a Lewiston City Council meeting as he addressed restrictions that city code gives him the authority to impose without a vote of elected officials.

Outdoor watering will be limited to hand-watering with hoses, pails and drip lines except in low-lying neighborhoods such as downtown Lewiston and North Lewiston, he said.

Powered, automated irrigation systems and sprinklers that project water will not be allowed, Johnson said.

The maximum penalty for violators is having their water turned off and a $300 fine, which could only occur after two warnings.

The ban doesn't apply to Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District customers. The Lewiston Golf & Country Club, the Lewiston Normal Hill Cemetery and Pepsi Park have their own wells, so they will be allowed to irrigate, Johnson said.

A map will be available at bit.ly/3oL6l7o showing exactly what lots are part of the ban.

"I have no good news today other than we are working on it feverishly trying to find a solution," Johnson said.

Bryden Canyon Golf Course, the city's largest water-user, has already been informed about the rules. City officials will be talking with other high-volume customers such as the Lewiston School District and Lewis-Clark State College about options this week, he said.

The ban is required to maintain adequate water pressure to fight fires and prevent additional damage to the city's water infrastructure following the collapse of a section of a wall at High Reservoir on Jan. 18. The reservoir has a capacity of 4.5 million gallons.

The fire department has a contingency plan to draw water directly from the river if an emergency warranted that, said Fire Chief Travis Myklebust.

The city imposed a boil order for about a week after the breach caused more than 3 million gallons of water to flood homes and businesses.

The city has enough water storage to serve the present need of about 2 million to 3 million gallons of water per day even though the damaged reservoir is cut off from the system, Johnson said.

But the capacity isn't adequate to handle peak summer usage that approaches 9 million per day, he said.

"I don't have a precise number to give you as far as how much water our system can provide at this point in the state that it is in, but it is not 9 million gallons," Johnson said.

More water storage is anticipated to be added in the city of Lewiston by completing an interim fix on the broken reservoir that would allow it to hold water, but that project won't be completed for weeks, Johnson said.

The limits will ensure St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and Idaho State Veterans Home — Lewiston have adequate water and preserve drinking water for Lewiston households and businesses, he said.

Permitting hand-watering will allow Lewiston water customers to preserve key landscaping features such as trees, and grow gardens, Johnson said.

"I'm confident we will get through this," he said. "It's just going to be a matter of time to get the solution in place and get the water back so we can get back to normal irrigation."

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.