Post Falls calls for water conservation

POST FALLS — The city of Post Falls is asking residents to conserve water after one of its wells broke down.

Post Falls Public Works Director John Beacham said reducing water use will help ease the strain on the rest of the system while the repairs are made. He said the maintenance is not an emergency. 

“We are simply asking folks to use less water if they can,” Beacham said. 

Well eight is not starting at the moment and the exact cause remains unknown. Beacham said they are diagnosing the issue and he believes there is a malfunction with the electrical equipment which starts the pump motor.

Post Falls has 10 wells with a pumping capacity of 25 million gallons per day. Well eight has a capacity of about 2.8 million gallons per day.  

Peak summer water usage usually fluctuates between 13 to 15 million gallons per day. The public works department has not experienced any difficulties in keeping up with the water demand for Post Falls this summer. 

Beacham said that although the system is built to handle peak demand with one well offline, any further loss in pump usage could require stricter water conservation measures.    

The majority of water usage occurs during the morning hours as customers irrigate lawns.

The cost to fix the issue will be unknown until the full scope of the issue is identified and the city learns if repair parts are available.   

Beacham said the issue could be resolved anywhere between a few days or a few months depending on the availability of parts.    

Post Falls is also in the process of a planned project to rebuild the well house and pumping equipment at well four, rendering that unavailable during the summer.  As a result of losing wells four and eight, pumping capacity is reduced to about 20 million gallons per day.

Both wells serve the central area of the city with a little more than half of the city’s water users.  

Here is the city's proposed irrigation schedule:

Odd-numbered addresses, Mon/Wed/Fri 

Even-numbered addresses, Tues/Thurs/Sat

Avoid watering from noon to 6 p.m. (per City Code 13.12.030)

Conservation tips

• Shorter showers, turn off water when brushing teeth

• Run only full loads in dishwashers and washing machines

• Fix leaks around your home

• Critical timeframe for conservation is 4 to 9 a.m. when wells work hardest to meet demand and refill reservoirs.