LINCOLN- On Tuesday, Lincoln city officials announced plans to end the long-running voluntary water conservation efforts, which have been in effect all summer. The original plan encouraged residents and businesses to only water their lawns on designated days based on their address.

Put in place on June 2nd in response to extreme drought conditions detected earlier in the summer, the efforts will be officially canceled on Thursday. At the height of the drought, Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Director Liz Elliott said the city's aquifers were only at 65% capacity. This was further exacerbated by a lack of substantial rainfall, causing Lancaster County to experience its first bout of exceptional drought conditions in the 23-year history of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Drought Monitor.

Thankfully, conditions in the city have improved significantly since then. While roughly 60% of Lancaster County is still facing severe drought, the area received above-average rainfall in June, July, and August, which has helped greatly to restore the city's water supply to levels typically seen last year. "Lincoln is in a good place right now thanks to the water conservation efforts our community put forth the last three months," said Steve Owen, Lincoln Water System Superintendent.

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