Rockford asks residents to voluntarily restrict watering lawns

The city of Rockford is asking people to voluntary restrict how often they water their lawns.

Rockford city leaders say groundwater levels in the aquifers used by the city have dropped and they fear if the drought continues the city might not be able to supply water to residents.

The drop in water levels is being blamed on the extreme heat and lack of rain this summer, but thanks to recent improvements to Rockford's water system, the city has been able to meet current demands without implementing a watering ban.

To avoid a water ban in the future, the city is now asking residents to voluntary restrict how often they water their lawns until further notice.

"In these extreme drought conditions that we're experiencing, we could have an impact on the water levels in our aquifers, which could impact our ability to supply water," said Rockford water superintendent Tim Holdeman.

"Obviously we're hurting, we need some good rain, we had that storm last week but that's not enough, and so if we all have to sacrifice a little bit, that's what we got to do," said Rockford resident Bob MacRae.

This city is asking people who live on the odd side of the street to water their lawn on the odd calendar days, and those who live on the even side to water their lawn on even days.

They're also encouraging people to only water their lawns in the early morning and evening hours.

Rockford asks residents to voluntarily restrict watering lawns.