Faced with less than a year's supply of drinking water, Osceola wants state regulators to allow it to use wastewater — treated and disinfected discharge from the city's new treatment facility — to help recharge its drought-diminished water source, West Lake. Three years of drought have left West Lake 6 feet below its usual level, prompting the Osceola Water Works board this month to ask residents to restrict their water use. The city can safely pull about 800,000 to 900,000 gallons of water daily from the lake, but demand has reached 1.4 million gallons, they said. The community of 5,540 about 50 miles south of the Des Moines metro would be the first in Iowa to use recycled, treated wastewater as part of its municipal supply, say city and water utility officials. Tap the link in our bio for more on this story. #Osceola #Iowa #drought #WaterSupply #DrinkingWater