(Radio Iowa) – As drought conditions worsen across the state, one southwestern Iowa community is enacting tighter water conservation restraints. By unanimous vote Tuesday night, the Shenandoah City Council enacted what it calls Stage 4 water rationing. City water superintendent Tim Martin explains what those restrictions entail, including a ban on all non-commercial irrigation.

“No water shall be used for irrigation at all,” Martin says, “except for businesses engaged in selling or growing plants. No water shall be used from a hose to wash automobiles, except places of business where autos are washed every business day, either with attendants, automatic equipment or self service.” The Stage 4 rationing also prohibits water-consuming air conditioning equipment that uses five-percent of the water circulation.

“Some of the water-to-water heating and cooling equipment,” he says, “you just need to make sure there isn’t any excess water being lost from it.” Also prohibited in Shenandoah: outdoor cleaning of surfaces, including buildings, sidewalks, driveways or porches, and the nonessential cleaning of commercial or industrial equipment, machinery or interior space.

Martin says allowing the loss of water through defective plumbing or fixtures is prohibited, unless the customer can provide proof of a defect.  “If you know you have a problem with leaks somewhere on your property, and you’re just ignoring it, that could be a problem,” Martin says, “but if you’re getting it fixed in a timely matter, we would understand.” Stage 4 also bans the filling of swimming pools, something that won’t be a concern for several months.

Three-quarters of the state is in moderate to extreme drought. The latest U-S Drought Monitor map shows more than 97-percent of Iowa with at least abnormally dry conditions or some level of drought, and less than two-and-a-half percent in the normal range.