Drought dries out rivers and gardens in Twin Cities metro
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Expanding drought conditions are prompting some Twin Cities metro area water suppliers to consider restricting watering, as dry weather withers gardens and slows the flow of rivers.
The U.S. drought monitor map released Thursday elevated a small part of northwest Minnesota to the extreme drought category; much of the eastern half of the state, including parts of the Twin Cities metro, is in a severe drought.
Water systems in the Twin Cities metro area are monitoring their water levels, with an eye toward implementing water use restrictions if the supply dips too low.
Racquel Vaske is the general manager of St. Paul Regional Water Services, which provides water to St. Paul and several nearby cities. She said the system is monitoring dropping water levels in the Mississippi River, where its water comes from. Recently, the river’s flow speed has dropped.
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“That's a number we're really watching closely because as that drops, then there's some triggers for us to really try and limit the amount of water that our customers are using,” Vaske said.
It hasn’t dropped low enough to prompt water restrictions yet. If the utility does issue restrictions, Vaske said users would see notices online and via email.
Some cities north of the Twin Cities, including Mora and Rush City, have already implemented watering restrictions. And some, including Edina and Eden Prairie, already have set watering restrictions in place year-round. Vaske said St. Paul has less of a challenge, since residents in the city tend to have smaller lawns and use less water keeping them up — but even so, conditions now are nearly dry enough to strain the water system.
Those dry conditions are also straining on backyard gardeners in the Twin Cities area.
Laura Irish-Hanson is a horticulture educator for the University of Minnesota Extension. She said gardeners are likely seeing dry soil, even if they water regularly.
“It's not just dry in the first six to 12 inches where a lot of the roots of the plants are, it’s dry even lower than that, which can be really problematic,” Irish-Hanson said.
That can leave roots without enough water. And in veggie-harvesting season, that can take a toll on produce. Irish-Hanson said irregular soil moisture might lead to misshapen cucumbers or rotten spots on tomatoes and peppers.
Irish-Hanson said it’s best to water gardens for a longer time, but less frequently — once every couple of days, depending on the soil.
“After you think you've watered enough, see how moist the soil is and how far down,” Irish-Hanson said. “If it's only wet for about an inch or so, you probably need to keep watering.”
But she said gardeners should still be careful of how much water they’re using, especially if watering restrictions are implemented in their areas. Even with limited hours or days for watering, she said it’s possible to water thoroughly, since gardens should only be deeply watered every few days.
The dry summer conditions are increasingly common. Vaske said it’s been a common concern at St. Paul Regional Water Services. The agency last issued watering restrictions in 2023.
Irish-Hanson said it’s becoming a “new norm.” She said the state is getting more of its precipitation in the spring — an observation backed by climate research from the University of Minnesota, which predicts more rainfall for the state overall, but longer dry spells in between more extreme rain events.
Irish-Hanson said gardeners can look into more drought-hardy plants in years to come if their current gardens aren’t surviving the dry conditions. And she said following watering guidance can go a long way, too.
