NewsLeak

After recent precipitation raised the water levels of Lake Decatur in Illinois, Decatur city officials ended mandatory water use restrictions for residents on December 28.

Assistant city manager Billy Tyus said the water conservation efforts were originally implemented earlier in the year due to the lack of rainfall. Tyus said the second half of 2011 hadas the worst drought the city has seen in 23 years, the Herald-Review reported.

The source reported the water restrictions started in the beginning of October, and allowed residents to water their lawns and wash their cars in their driveways on certain days of the week. Restaurants were told to only bring water to the table if a customer asked for it, and bulk water prices were increased throughout Decatur. This is the third time in the last seven years that Decatur residents had to practice water conservation efforts due to a threat of a water shortage.

A water conservation measure in the Santa Clara Valley was also recently lifted by city officials. Although the mandatory 10 percent water conservation program ended, water district workers implemented a 10 percent voluntary conservation effort in its place. The water conservation plan was changed to voluntary after above average rainfall, healthy groundwater storage levels and a strong conservation response from residents helped bring the city back to a stronger level of water, the Gilroy Dispatch reported.

The city of San Clemente, California, is asking its residents, businesses and homeowner's associations to conserve water while a regional water treatment facility is shut down for regular maintenance.

The Metropolitan Water District's Diemer Filtration Plant will receive a series of operational upgrades and improvements on its new ozone treatment system, the San Clemente Times reported. The filtration plant currently accounts for 85 percent of city water customers' services. These customers, however, will receive their water from the Upper Chiquita Reservoir and underground water supplies during the maintenance, the source reported.

Similar conservation efforts are being implemented in Jamaica. The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management recently reminded the Jamaican public to conserve their water usage in the upcoming months when the traditional dry season sets in, the Jamaica Observer reported. The ODPEM recommends residents pay attention to the amount of water they use and try to reduce that amount or reuse water whenever possible during the first four months of 2012.