City of Elk Horn

07/02/2025

⚠️ Elk Horn Water Notice ⚠️

We experienced another drop in water pressure today around 1PM. Beginning tonight at 9:00 PM, city crews will begin isolating water mains — starting on Madison Street and continuing throughout town. Please help spread the word but informing any of your neighbors who may not see this post.

🔹 Please make sure to complete any household water needs before 9:00 PM, as water may be temporarily unavailable in your area.

If you see city vehicles nearby, be aware:
🔹 Your water may be turned off for up to one hour as we pressurize sections of the system to help identify the ongoing issue.

We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to resolve this as quickly as possible.

07/01/2025

06/30/2025

Week of June 30th - July 6th.
Be sure to follow
Elk Horn Public Pool for opening/closings and Exira Community Club for a full list of Exira's 4th of July Celebration.

06/27/2025

Effective Date: June 27, 2025
Reason: Ongoing Water Issue
Goal: Reduce overall water use by 11- 20%
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🚫 Prohibited Water Uses:
• No watering of lawns, shrubs, trees, flowers, or vegetable gardens
• No washing of patios, porches, parking lots, driveways, sidewalks, or building exteriors
• No cleaning of equipment, machinery, or interior spaces
• Vehicle/equipment washing is only allowed at commercial car washes
• No filling of swimming or wading pools unless equipped with a filter and recirculating system
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💧 Water Conservation Tips:
Fix Leaks Immediately
• A dripping faucet can waste gallons per day.
• Check toilets for silent leaks (use a few drops of food coloring in the tank—if it appears in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak).
Limit Shower Time - Aim for 5-minute showers.
• Don’t let water run while brushing teeth, shaving, or washing dishes.
Only Run Full Loads
• Use dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads.
Reuse Water When Possible
• Collect shower warm-up water in a bucket for watering plants.
• Use leftover cooking water (like from boiling pasta or veggies) once cooled.
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📞 Contact: For questions, please call the Clerk’s Office at 764-5514

06/26/2025

ATTENTION:

Good News!
Water samples have come back from the state, and the boil advisory has officially been lifted.

Please note: Mandatory water conservation guidelines are still in effect.

06/25/2025

City of Elk Horn Water Advisory Update – June 25, 2025

We remain under a boil advisory as of today, June 25, 2025. City officials and staff want to assure residents that we are taking this situation very seriously and are doing everything we can with the resources available to us.

Key Updates:
Water Supply: We are not experiencing a water shortage in our well fields. Water is currently being pumped to the treatment plant and distributed throughout the system.

System Improvements: Water pressure and tower levels are improving steadily.

External Support: We have reached out to the Iowa League of Cities for additional support in identifying and resolving the underlying issue.

Mandatory Water Watch: A mandatory water watch remains in effect until the issue is fully resolved.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation during this time. Please continue to follow all boil advisory protocols, and we will keep you updated as the situation progresses.

— City of Elk Horn

06/23/2025

Weekly Connection of June 23rd-29th.
City Wide Garage Sale Sign Ups!

06/18/2025

6/18 Update: Mandatory Water Watch

BOIL ADVISORY STILL IN EFFECT

Our water tower, which holds 150,000 gallons, is currently sitting at approximately 40,000 gallons. While that may sound like a lot, it means we're operating at less than one-third capacity—and water is still disappearing faster than expected.

Yesterday, leak detection crews were out listening to hydrants and valves. While we received some feedback, it unfortunately did not provide the answers we were hoping for.

Until we can identify the source of the issue, we’re asking all residents and businesses to conserve water immediately. Every bit of water saved helps maintain pressure and keeps essential services running.

Thank you for your cooperation and support as we work to resolve this issue.

06/17/2025

6/16/25 9:00 PM Update:
Thank you to Shelby County Emergency Management - today they flew a drone with thermal imaging on the tower. It showed just the bottom of the bowl had water. Unfortunately, the image was correct the tower only had about 6-8’ of water in it. The sensor at the water plant was giving us a different reading causing us to think the tower was almost full. We had a company out today following the imaging to fix the sensor. We have reached out to IRWA for a leak detection device to assess further. We are back to actively searching for a water leak. Please conserve water at this time until the leak is found.
*Boil Advisory is still in affect at this time. We will keep everyone posted the best we can.

Thank you for your cooperation.

06/16/2025

Week of June 16th - 22nd.

06/16/2025

Stay Informed with Smart911

Due to the recent issues with City Water, we strongly encourage all residents to sign up for Smart911. This is the fastest and most reliable way to receive important updates directly to your phone, including when the boil advisory is lifted.

Signing up takes just about a minute, and you’ll receive occasional reminders to keep your information up to date.

We’ll be using Smart911 to notify residents when water test results are in and it's safe to use the water again.

👉 Sign up here: www.smart911.com
📱 Or download the Smart911 app on your phone

Thank you!

This service helps 9-1-1 protect your family by providing more information to first responders. You should sign up too, it is free!

06/15/2025

5PM Update:
What we do know: Tower is dropping rather quickly causing little to no water to some homes at Random Times.
What we don’t know: Why?

We have had numerous people on sight to help fix why the tower is dropping with no answers. What we had fixed on Thursday doesn’t seem to have fixed the issue at this point. We will make more phone calls tomorrow and hopefully to get more people to help us figure out the system.
Our staff is doing the best we can to isolate the problem but with no luck.

BOIL ADVISORY is still in affect until further notice.

Please try to conserve water at this time to help keep pressure in the lines as much as possible. Tell your neighbors also!

With this, we will not be able to open the pool tomorrow due to no water in the park.