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NOW. AND RIGHT NOW, THE CITY OF DES MOINES IS STEPPING UP ITS EFFORTS TO CONSERVE WATER AFTER CENTRAL IOWA WATER WORKS ANNOUNCED A MANDATORY BAN ON ALL LAWN WATERING. THE BAN APPLIES TO ALL RESIDENTIAL OR COMMERCIAL LAWN WATERING. IT’S AN EFFORT TO BRING DOWN THE HIGH NITRATE LEVELS IN THE WATER. RIGHT NOW, THE EPA SAYS ANYTHING BELOW 10MG/L IS SAFE TO DRINK. CENTRAL IOWA WATER WORKS SAYS WE ARE CURRENTLY AT 9MG/L. ����vlog’S MARCUS MCINTOSH IS LIVE AT ASHBY PARK WITH A LOOK AT WHAT ELSE CAN BE DONE TO REDUCE THE WATER USE. MARCUS. STACEY. BEN. THIS AFTERNOON, THE CITY OF DES MOINES ANNOUNCED IT WAS CLOSING ALL OF ITS PLAYGROUNDS, SPLASH PADS AND WADING POOLS, EFFECTIVE TODAY. NOW, AS YOU MENTIONED, WE’RE LIVE AT ASHBY PARK. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THE WADING POOL HERE IS STILL OPEN. THAT IS BECAUSE ASHBY PARK USES RECIRCULATED, NOT FRESH WATER. SO THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE LAST SPLASH POOLS THAT WILL BE CLOSED. NOW THERE ARE A FEW OTHER SUGGESTIONS BEING MADE TO CUT BACK ON WATER USAGE, BUT WE ARE TOLD BY FAR THE BEST AND FASTEST WAY TO REDUCE WATER USAGE IS THE BAN ON LAWN WATERING. WELL, WE DIDN’T HAVE GRASS AROUND THE ROCK. WE CAUGHT UP WITH NAN KLOBERDANZ RIGHT AFTER SHE WANTED HER NEW SOD. ONE OF THE EXCEPTIONS TO THE LAWN WATERING BAN. A BAND KLOBERDANZ SAYS MAKES SENSE. YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT COSMETIC VERSUS HEALTH AND WHAT’S BEST FOR THE PEOPLE. HIGH NITRATE CONCENTRATIONS IN THE SOURCE WATER ARE THE REASON FOR THE BAN, A SITUATION THAT HAS ALL BUT OVERWHELMED THE NITRATE TREATMENT PLANT ON FLOOR. THAT LED TO A VOLUNTARY REQUEST TO SCALE BACK LAWN WATERING, WHICH QUICKLY INCREASED TO THE BAN, A FIRST FOR CENTRAL IOWA. THE NITRATE LEVEL INCREASED SO QUICKLY THAT OUR PLANTS WERE NOT ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH CAPACITY, SO WE HAD TO EVOLVE TO STAGE THREE VERY RAPIDLY. TAMMIE MATSON IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL IOWA WATER WORKS. SHE IS CLEAR THE PROBLEM IS NOT CAUSED BY PEOPLE WATERING THEIR LAWNS, BUT NOT WATERING IS A BIG PART OF THE SOLUTION. THE BEST WAY THAT WE CAN QUICKLY REMEDY THIS PROBLEM IS BY CUTTING DOWN OUR SINGLE BIGGEST USE OF WATER, WHICH IS LAWN WATERING. CENTRAL IOWA WATER WORKS IS MONITORING THE SITUATION. THERE IS NO TIMETABLE ON WHEN THE LAWN WATERING BAN WILL BE LIFTED. IF IT IS A LENGTHY ONE. KLOBERDANZ IS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS FOR HER LAWN. YOU KNOW WHAT? LET ME TELL YOU, IT HAS TURNED BROWN BEFORE. IT ALWAYS COMES BACK. ANOTHER EXCEPTION TO THE BAN IS WATERING YOUR FLOWERS OR GARDENS WITH A WATERING CAN FROM A FAUCET FILLED WITH A FAUCET FROM INSIDE YOUR HOME. OTHER WAYS TO CUT BACK USAGE IS TAKING SHORTER SHOWERS AND MAKING SURE YOU HAVE FULL LOADS IN YOUR WASHING MACHINE AND YOUR DISHWASHER BEFORE USING THOSE AS WELL, AND ALSO CUT BACK ON THE CAR WASH. WE’RE LIVE IN DES MOINES. I’