Council flags water restrictions and metering as drought concerns grow

Cleveland — Residents and councilors told the Cleveland Town Council on March 12 that the town may need to adopt water restrictions as the area faces lower-than-usual snowpack and dry conditions.

A resident (S9) warned, “we’re gonna be hurting for water” and urged the council to consider a directive such as even/odd day watering or other restrictions used by neighboring towns. Councilors and residents discussed the difference between culinary water and secondary irrigation water and noted that secondary-meters are costly to install (one speaker estimated a meter cost in the hundreds of dollars).

The chair (S1) said staff will draft a letter and that the council would place discussion of a possible water-restriction policy on the April agenda so the town can decide whether to direct conservation measures or pursue metering options. No restriction was ordered at the March meeting; the council treated the item as a priority for follow-up given projected dry conditions.