To: All Lark Meadows Water Association (LMWA) Members

From: The LMWA Board of Directors

 

LMWA members, the Water Board needs your help. The water and the private distribution system that
delivers it to our homes is a very precious thing for all of us. For those of us who experienced outages
in the past, that became clear very quickly. Having no water for showers, washing dishes and flushing
gets to be a nuisance pretty quickly. Since LMWA residents use about 10 times more water in summer
than during winter months, this is the season where our little water system is under maximum stress
and, not surprisingly, when outages and costs have been an issue in the past. So, it’s important that
your neighbors have your cooperation to help avoid outages. Every summer we institute
restricted watering hours. This will be the case this summer as well. It allows the two wells to refill
our large cistern and lets the water underground flow back to the wells which keeps the wells and
pumps from failing (See below for more on the possible implications). So, to keep our water system
operating smoothly, we all need to help by observing the following watering-time restriction.

 

May through the end of August

 

You may water lawn and gardens during the following hours:

 

• 5:00 a.m.–9:00a.m. or

 

• 6:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. (but not both)

 

Reasons for this restriction:

 

1) Our entire neighborhood receives water pumped up from two wells that fill a large storage tank.
Those wells MUST have time when the pumps are stopped to allow water to replenish the underground
area around them. Otherwise, the wells may either collapse or dry up as water finds new underground
flow passages. For reference, a new pump can cost $10,000 and the full well replacement we did in
2013 cost us $75,000. These are significant costs for our small neighborhood. In fact, in 2013 there was
a risk that we would be denied a permit to drill a new well which would have led to hundreds of
thousands of dollars in expenses to buy water from elsewhere or pay to get onto Lafayette water
(assuming they would have been willing to deal with our small subdivision).

 

2) Continuous watering by many neighbors can drain the storage tank faster than the well pumps can
refill it. If the water level in the storage tank gets too low, the system automatically shuts down for
several hours and nobody gets water for any purpose (including that toilet flushing thing).

 

3) Watering during the heat of the summer day is less effective because evaporation rates are high,
which is why watering between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. is not allowed.
There are additional, helpful, longer-term water conservation steps, which many of us have adopted,
that can provide an overall reduction of our summer water usage. These include setting aside large
portions of your yard that are never watered (except by Mother Nature), xeriscaping some areas, and
only planting trees, shrubs, and grass varieties that need modest amounts water to stay healthy and
green.

 

Many neighbors simply allow their lawns to go brown and dormant during mid-summer with little
watering, knowing that (depending on the variety) the grass does not die off and will regain its
greenness when rains or the cooler autumn weather arrive.

​

If we all understand the situation outlined above, use common sense, and follow the guidelines we’ve
set for ourselves, we should have enough water to meet everyone’s needs. By using this precious
resource wisely, we reduce the odds of having water service interrupted. Remember – it’s your water
system, so please help care for it.

​

Thank you,

​

Phil Harris, Bruce Barker, Lee Papania

​

Your President, Treasurer and Secretary on the volunteer LMWA Board