OXFORD, Miss. — The City of Oxford is asking residents and businesses to reduce outdoor water use as extreme heat, drought conditions and continued population growth place unusually high demand on the city’s water system.
City officials said water demand has reached historically high summer levels following approximately 30 days of extreme temperatures and dry conditions.
While Oxford is working on several infrastructure projects designed to increase water-system capacity, officials said those improvements will take time to complete. In the meantime, reducing water consumption will help maintain reliable water pressure and preserve adequate water reserves for fire protection.
Outdoor irrigation accounts for more than half of the city’s peak water consumption during the summer, according to the city.
Customers are being asked to reduce watering times by 50% effective immediately. Residents can accomplish that by watering fewer days each week or reducing the amount of time irrigation systems operate each day.
The city also recommends watering lawns and landscaping before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m., when cooler temperatures can reduce water loss caused by evaporation.
Officials said voluntary cooperation from residents will help stabilize the system and protect Oxford’s shared water supply during the period of unusually high demand.
City of Oxford Notice
The original notice from the City of Oxford follows:
Water Conservation Update
Due to extreme high temperatures and drought observed over the last 30 days, combined with the continued growth of Oxford, our water system is experiencing historically high summer demand. While we are currently working on multiple infrastructure projects to add system capacity, these projects take time. To ensure reliable water pressure and adequate fire-protection reserves, we are asking customers to help reduce the system demand.
Outdoor irrigation accounts for over 50% of our peak water consumption, causing the system to experience exceptionally high demand during this time of year. To stabilize our system, we are requesting that customers cut back on their watering times by 50%, effective immediately. This can be done by limiting the number of days per week or minutes per day of watering. Additionally, customers should always water before 10:00 AM or after 6:00PM to prevent water loss from heat and evaporation. We are relying on our community’s proactive cooperation to protect the City of Oxford water system.
Thank you for doing your part to protect our shared water supply to ensure system reliability for the entire community.
