With rising temps and few significant rain events, drought conditions continue to impact the Mississippi River. As a result, river flows are approaching the threshold that would trigger the City to implement and enforce watering restrictions. While the City of Minneapolis has not yet officially declared watering restrictions, we urge residents and water users to pitch in by following these sensible water conservation practices:

• Water during the coolest part of the day – If your plants need water, water in the early morning or later evening.
• Water grass as needed – Most lawns only need an inch of water a week. Turn off any automatic watering controls. Only turn the water on when your lawn shows signs of excessive dryness.
• Prioritize tree watering – Proactively water your trees. Drought conditions cause stress to trees and threaten our urban tree canopy.
• Mulch your trees and plants – Mulch helps prevent water evaporation and prevents some weed growth.
• Leave grass clippings in place – Grass clippings provide shade for the soil.
• Let the grass grow longer to prevent premature dying – Let grass stay longer than normal.
• Check for leaks – Leaks in hoses, pipes, couplings or sprinklers are a significant source of wasted water.

The City is working with the State and other community water suppliers to ensure appropriate and adequate drought response measures are implemented. The City will continue to actively monitor drought conditions and share additional information as necessary.

In August, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced the Mississippi Headwaters watershed entered the drought warning response phase as described in the Minnesota Statewide Drought Plan. The City of Minneapolis is within the Mississippi Headwaters watershed. 

Additional resources:

City of Minneapolis information on wise water use

Water conservation information for residents from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources