The city of Brookings is asking residents to conserve water due to the lack of rainfall and low water flow in the Chetco River.

“It is prudent for residents of the Brookings area to implement voluntary water use curtailment until the rains return,” said Mayor Larry Anderson.

City code calls for public water conservation measures when the river level drops below 100 cubic feet per second. Mandatory cuts in water use are required if the river’s flow drops below 80 cubic feet per second.

Initially, the city reported that river flows dropped below 40 cubic feet. Officials later learned that measurement was flawed, because the U.S. Coast Guard’s gauging station for the river was broken, the city reported in a press release.

River flows instead were closer to 70 cubic feet, which still was below the level the city considers its lower threshold prompting water conservation.

Water restriction measures include:

n Reduce lawn irrigation to every other day.

n Irrigate landscaping only between the hours of 6 p.m. and 10 a.m.

n Don’t wash sidewalks, parking lots or other hard surfaces.

n Don’t wash vehicles, except through a commercial car wash or facility that recycles water.

n Shut off decorative water features, such as fountains.

n Don’t power-wash buildings.

The city is offering an incentive program for replacing old toilets and washing machines with more water-efficient models.

There also is a leak detection program, and low water-use nozzles and devices are available.

The city will be doing its part, too. Staff will inspect the water distribution system for leaks and consider replacing old water meters and installing less-water intensive landscaping.

The average Brookings resident uses 137 gallons of water per day, compared to the national average of 180 gallons of water per day.

To bring attention to water conservation, this month the city honored Judy Shafer. The Brookings woman received the Most Improved Property of the Month award for re-landscaping her yard to decorative rock and low water-use plants.