Rice enacts water ban

Throughout the summer season in Minnesota, it is common for dry, humid days and temperatures to climb into the 90s. Individuals fill up swimming pools, water their grass, and sip cool, refreshing drinks to beat the heat.

However, this summer, residents of Rice are using a substantial amount of water. The Rice City Council, with the recommendation from Rice Public Works Director Brian Cairns, enacted a watering ban at its July 20 meeting. The ban is effective immediately. Water users who are using an excessive amount of water, as defined by city ordinance, will receive fines.

“With these hot weeks, we’re not getting much rain, and it’s been a lot of people using a lot of water,” Cairns said July 16.

The city of Rice, Cairns said, goes through about 100,000 gallons of water each day during winter; this summer, city residents and businesses are expending about 600,000 gallons daily.

For several years, the city has dealt with concerns over water.

According to Cairns, back in 2017, the city was allotted 75 million gallons of water per year. The amount came from a prediction that Rice’s future population would rise to around 1,500 people.

Yet, according to an Environmental Systems Research Institute August 2025 study, the Rice population sits at 2,163 residents with growth expected. This means more residents are using the city’s water, which increases the total used as well.

Rice also is working to add a new well in town — a process that has turned long. With a trout stream on one side of the city and high nitrate levels on the other, city staff are struggling to find the perfect location for a productive well while satisfying state agencies.

Still, those are not the only factors contributing to the municipality’s mounting challenge.

“We have some houses that are using anywhere from 500 to 900 gallons (of water) an hour,” Cairns said. “It’s just something that people should be aware of because, when you have multiple houses doing that, it adds up quick.”

Cairns said summertime always increases water use, with early mornings and late evenings being peak times. He also mentioned that the Rice water tower level should sit at around 24 feet but it has recently been dropping to 22 — even 19 feet at one point.

Water usage in excess of 250 gallons per hour is banned for an undetermined amount of time until the city’s infrastructure can rest and reset, but other conservation efforts are in place year-round. The city enforces an odd/even watering schedule, with sprinkler use only allowed on properties’ corresponding watering days. Those property owners who water on the wrong day are fined. City ordinance allows a $50 fine per violation.

“Sometimes, it happens by mistake, and sometimes, people claim that they’re not aware of (the ordinance),” Fandel said. “We put it in the newsletter, (and) on the bottom of their bills every two, three months. It’s listed on the website, and this has been in place … for nine years, so it definitely isn’t something new we’re doing.”

In the past, the city was fined by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for going over its yearly water usage allowanc. Fandel said if that continues, the cost will have to be passed along to residents.

“It’s really important that residents realize there is a limited amount of water, and we have to make sure that there’s a sufficient amount,” Fandel said. “If people don’t respect the ordinances, then that’s when the issues begin. The city can’t just absorb that cost — budgets are very tight.”

Rice Fire Chief Scott Janski said the overuse can cause several additional concerns, especially from the fire department’s standpoint.

“If we have a fire and low water levels, it makes fighting the fire even more difficult,” he said.

The department could also potentially drain the tower while battling against a fire, resulting in a boil-water order for Rice, and, if the town runs out of water or a pump or well go down because of overuse, Janski said the department’s strategies for handling emergencies would be impacted.

“We’d have to bring in mutual aid partners to bring us water,” Janski said.

The city hopes residents will realize the problem and begin conserving water so that the ban can be lifted sooner rather than later. Council members and staff also hope people’s habits will have changed for the betterment of the city as a whole.

“Everybody has a programmable sprinkler system, and, if it rains, you can conserve by watering every third or fourth day,” Fandel said.

There are also other methods residents can use to check how much water they are using.

“Residents can always test their garden hoses and see what their houses are doing for gallons running per minute,” Cairns said. “Even with their sprinklers, instead of setting them for half an hour, just bring it down to 15 minutes.”