OSCEOLA, Iowa — Osceola residents are continuing to conserve water within their homes due to an urgent water shortage in the city.
Despite getting some rainful over the weekend, Osceola officials told Local 5 that it wasn't enough to increase the water levels at West Lake, the city's only source of water.
With just over 5,000 residents, those living in the city are now doing their part to conserve.
"We've been really trying to conserve by not letting the water run when we brush our teeth and different things," long-time resident Diane Ogbourne said. "I started buying bottled water to make our coffee with and to drink, just to help out with the situation."
That switch from tap to bottle wasn't necessarily a personal choice.
City Administrator Ty Wheeler sent a notice to the public on Friday, Dec. 15 asking residents to drink only bottled water, if possible, amid severe drought conditions. The city's water supply has been a topic of concern for years, as the city relies on a singular water source.
With little rainfall in recent months, the city is now up against the clock.
"We've got about 200 days of water left, right now, if conditions don't change and the water continues to drop at the same rate it has been," Wheeler said Monday.
According to Wheeler, water levels at West Lake have been dropping at a rate of two inches per week. The lake is currently about seven feet below the normal level of 1,072 feet above mean sea level.
The ongoing water shortage has forced life-long Osceola residents like Ron Utley to question their future in the city.
"This is very real. It could be an end. I've had several people ask me, 'What are you gonna do if you have no water at all?' I don't know. I don't know what I'm gonna do," he said.
About 15 inches of rainfall will be needed to bring the lake back to normal levels.
County officials are exploring other options in case the rain doesn't come. Wheeler says that the city is in contact with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources about using treated wastewater to replenish the water supply.