Mount Pleasant council debates watering limits and complaint-based enforcement as local supplies fall

City staff gave a stark water update and council spent extensive time weighing how to enforce irrigation limits as supplies remain far below last year.

S8 (water/irrigation presenter) reported that the city’s water flow is about "80% lower than we were at the same time last year" and said allocation is currently 0.6 gallons-per-minute-per-share. Staff described a calculator-based approach to translate well-share allocations and sprinkler head flow rates into allowable run times for each user.

Council members and staff discussed options to detect and deter overuse. The current ordinance is complaint-driven: the first violation triggers a warning and enforcement requires photo evidence with date/time stamps. Several council members urged more proactive meter reads and faster enforcement, while others warned of police staffing limits for nighttime enforcement. Staff said some master meters exist but are not consistently read or interpreted; staff recommended fixing or enabling meter reads and posting education materials by fields.

Members debated watering-window length (some argued 4 hours is necessary for low-pressure multi-zone systems; others proposed shortening time or adopting two-hour windows). S4 proposed targeted posting and enforcement at field sites and use of the calculator to educate irrigators. A council member noted that if the mountain flow drops, some users may need to move to one day per week.

No ordinance change was adopted; council directed staff to post signage at field sites, publish the allocation calculator for public use, accept complaint photos with timestamps, and return with recommendations for improved meter-reading and a clearer enforcement workflow.

Next procedural steps include staff posting signs at key field locations, making the water-allocation calculator publicly available, and reporting back with options to improve master-meter reads and enforcement timelines.