SF Residents Asked To Save Water Ahead Of Storm

SIOUX FALLS, SD - Sioux Falls city officials say they have ordered a pipe to replace the one that collapsed last week, and the contractor that will fix it will be in town Thursday. 

A permanent fix for the broken sewer pipe should be done in the next six to eight weeks, but with more rain forecasted for Thursday, officials want residents to start conserving water now so it doesn't back up in to basements later this week.

A temporary bypass system is re-routing sewage around the broken pipe near the penitentiary, but it will take more than a pair of pipes to get the city through the next rain storm. 

"There's a very, very good chance that I'm going to come to you and ask you again to conserve water at a much higher level than we're even doing today," Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether said.

City officials don't want to put any more pressure on the sewer system, so they are already asking residents to put off laundry, dishes and take shorter showers.

"Every, every bit of water that you conserve during that next rain event lessens the chance that we'll have to put sewage water into the river, as well as lessens the chance that your neighbors going to have sewage back up in their home," Huether said.

The mayor is chastising residents who are still using their sprinklers and sending even more water into the sewer system.

"You don't have to water your lawns, and if you do, it's utterly ridiculous.  It just is," Huether said. 

While Sioux Falls officials are asking residents to conserve water, they want to make sure everyone knows the water is still safe to drink.