No more water restrictions. Turn down your softeners.

Please also note that the City of Sheldon is no longer on water restrictions or a water watch. While we encourage you not to waste water, we are also ok with you watering your lawn when Spring comes.

Update 3:02 PM, 2/28/24: Just a reminder to turn down your softeners. We recommend you contact your local plumbing contactor or softener supplier to make sure that setting is correct for their household.

Update 8:00 AM, 1/22/24: Regarding our water supply, the hardness of the water coming out of our water plant is now 13 – 14 grains, thanks to Lewis & Clark. Prior to that, the hardness was in the mid to high 50’s in terms of grains of hardness.

It is time to turn down water softeners, but we encourage you to use caution and consult with your plumber before you turn down your softener to 13 for the hardness setting. There are conditions to consider such as volume of usage and the recharge frequency, which affect the lifespan of your softener.

Update 10:17 AM, 1/3/24: We have been asked about how to test the water hardness and what setting is best. Here is an update from our Public Works Director, Todd Uhl: There are several easily available water hardness test kits or strips. Our water will be sent to the customers at 13 to 14 grains and should stay consistent. I’d suggest setting softeners slightly higher. Maybe something in the 16 to 18 range. Ultimately customers may want to contact their local plumbing contactor or softener supplier to make sure that setting is correct for their household. Here is a sample water softener manual (see p5).

Update 8:42 AM, 1/3/24: The water coming out of the plant is now about 13 to 14 grains of hardness per gallon, compared to about 56 grains previously. There is still some hard water in the system, but it’s time to start turning down your softeners. Turning down your softeners will help you financially and to preserve the life of your softener, and it also helps the compliance with our Wastewater treatment plant.

Update 12/19/23: Lewis & Clark water started flowing into our water system on December 19, 2023. The current hardness in the system is in the mid-50’s in terms of grains of hardness, and the new blend will be in the teens. A major change. We are being asked often about when to turn down the softeners. There are millions of gallons of the harder water in the system and it will time for that to run through the system. The switch to chloramination (affecting dialysis patients and fish owners) has already occurred and was previously communicated.

See prior post on Chloramination, which began earlier this month and affects mainly dialysis patients and aquatic life.