St. Paul residents could face penalties for watering as drought continues

The St. Paul City Council adopted an emergency order Wednesday that will allow the city to penalize residents who do not comply with outdoor watering restrictions if this summer's drought worsens.

St. Paul Regional Water Services will be able to impose penalties ranging from a $50 fine to temporary water shut-offs to residents who do not reduce their water use in keeping with city guidelines.

Water services is currently asking customers to restrict outdoor watering to alternating days, said General Manager Patrick Shea.

The emergency order "is to make sure we are prepared to implement mandatory restrictions if that becomes necessary," Shea said in an e-mail.

Drought conditions persist across Minnesota, with most of the state under a severe or extreme drought. St. Paul has been in the drought warning phase since July 20.

The drought has caused a significant decrease in the amount of water flowing through the Mississippi River, where St. Paul derives much of its supply, according to the city. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' drought plan calls for all public water suppliers using the Mississippi River to implement water use reduction measures when drawing water from an area that is in an extreme or exceptional drought.

St. Paul residents won't be penalized unless the city moves into a restrictive drought phase, Shea said during Wednesday's council meeting. In the restrictive phase, watering on alternating days would become a requirement, and penalties would begin for excessive watering.

The first violation would result in education for the homeowner, followed by a written warning for a second violation and fines ranging from $50 to $150 for subsequent violations. Residents who've reached a $150 fine for a fifth violation would also have their water shut off until they pay.

At a council committee meeting Wednesday morning, Council Member Nelsie Yang, vice president of the water board, asked city staff to work on multilingual awareness campaigns to get the word out in case the drought continues.

"We're just being really proactive right now," she said.

Council Member Chris Tolbert, who also sits on the water board, encouraged residents to see water conservation as an obligation, not a punishment.

"We just are asking people to be part of the solution and help us save some water — and let that grass be a little more brown than green this year," he said.