Printer-friendlyEmail to friend

It’s summer, which usually means drought conditions for a few places here or there. Only this summer is different. So far, 2011 is the hottest on record for many areas of the country, and much of those same areas are experiencing moderate to severe drought. The southern half of the United States in particular is being devastated by heat and drought. Crops are livestock are dying, water bills are soaring and even roads are buckling.

Such drought affects water systems as well. This year’s severe lack of water has shrunk aquifers and reservoirs to dangerous levels. Some water systems are resorting to finding other water supplies to keep up with demand.

What about your system? Is your supply ample enough to last through to the next soaking rain? Are your customers complaining about excessive water bills? How can you keep costs down in such a situation?

In this edition of eBulletin, we’ll offer some suggestions to help your system and your customers make it through a drought, be it regular summer dryness or a persistent problem.

Drought for the water system
Drought has become a serious issue for the United States this summer, particularly the south and southeastern states. Some states are experiencing drought in nearly every part, such as Texas, New Mexico, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Texas and New Mexico have reached “Exceptional Drought” conditions nearly statewide, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor (a link is available below). That’s the highest category possible, and it can lead to water shortages, the drying up of lakes and rivers, crop ruin and livestock deaths, all of which have been reported lately in both states.

Unlike other weather disasters, which have short shelf lives and often are only predicted a few days out, drought patterns can emerge weeks and even months ahead of time. The U.S. Drought Monitor reports updates on these predictions weekly and provides both short- and long-term drought indicator maps. While the science isn’t exact, it’s often not far off from what happens.

So what do you do if you’re headed for a persistent drought? The best solution is to plan ahead and save as much water as possible. One way to do this is to reduce your leakage. Take advantage of good spring weather to check your water system for leaks, particularly in older areas or areas of heavy construction. Even small leaks can cause your system to waste thousands of gallons of water each year. It may take time and money to make those repairs, but they’re a worthy investment in the end, especially when water becomes scarce in the summer or in a drought.
 
If you need assistance paying for such repairs, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership may be able to help through its Revolving Loan Fund. A link to more information is listed below.

Another way to prepare is to set up a drought policy or contingency plan. The policy should include steps for water conservation and what to do if demand increases or comes close to exceeding capacity. At what point to you fill the storage tanks further? When do you ask the public to stop watering their lawns? What do you do if you start coming up short? All of these questions should be addressed in your drought plan.

Some places initiate a list of water conservation methods when the drought is at its most intense. Others do it in stages. One example is the city of San Antonio, Texas, which has developed a four-stage drought plan. The city outlines what is allowed in each stage (when lawns can be watered, whether sidewalks can be hosed off, etc.) and has created a system of days in which certain people can perform certain tasks with water. For example, business with the last digit of their street address being 6 or 7 can only water their landscape on Thursdays from 3-8 a.m. or 8-10 p.m.  If you’d like to see how they structured their drought restrictions, a link is provided below.

Denison, Texas, has a comprehensive contingency plan as well. Their water system’s plan in laid out like other system policies and describes not only what the water conservation steps will be but also when they will be implemented, how the word will be put out to the public and who can override the conservation requirements. A link to their plan is available below.

Finally, if drought is a common problem, you may consider setting up an agreement with a nearby water system to get extra water in case of drought emergencies, such as a WARN agreement. WARN stands for Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network. WARN agreements arrange for mutual aid and assistance during emergencies like floods, earthquakes or hurricanes and droughts.
Several states have implemented WARN systems already, including Texas, Florida, Oregon, California, Georgia and Pennsylvania. The EPA offers documents to prepare your own WARN system based on agreements created in these states. The EPA also offers other guides, suggestions and exercise plans on their WARN page. A link to all of this is available below.

Though some states currently are faring better than others, drought has hit nearly every state at one point or another. State health and water agencies often have materials available to prepare you for what might happen and what might be needed during a drought. Examples from the states of Georgia and Texas are available below.

Droughts can be devastating to water systems, but the right planning and maintenance can make things a bit easier and help you prepare in case a summer drought turns into a much longer one.

Additional Resources
U.S. Drought Monitor
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/drought_assessment.shtml
RCAP Revolving Loan Fund
http://www.rcap.org/rlf
San Antonio Water System – Drought Restrictions
http://www.saws.org/conservation/aquifermgmt/
Denison, Texas, Drought Contingency Plan
http://www.cityofdenison.com/pubutil/documents/drought2006final2.pdf
WARN systems
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/mutualaid/index.cfm
Conserve Water Georgia
http://www.conservewatergeorgia.net/index.html
Texas Commission of Environmental Quality – Drought and Public Water Systems
http://www.tceq.texas.gov/response/drought/drought.html

Drought for the customer
It isn’t just the water system that suffers during a drought. The customer has it nearly as rough. Between watching lawns die to watching water bills rise, droughts can bring some high anxiety to water customers.

The worst part during a drought is when extremely dry weather combines with excessive heat, something that has happened this year in several areas of the country. Many customers want to conserve water to keep the bills down, but it’s difficult because they need to consume more water to keep hydrated and healthy.

Such situations can prove to be a quandary for the water system. What if the customer’s water bill becomes too much for them to pay during a drought and heat wave? Ordinarily, the water system gives a customer a set time to pay the bill, then cuts off the water if the bill remains unpaid. But what if temperatures are above 100 degrees persistently and a lack of water could be dangerous to your customer’s health? Do you still cut the water off? Cases like this might warrant a contingency plan in case of extreme weather.
Some electric companies will refuse to disconnect electricity during a heat wave because customers could die of heat stroke without ways to cool down, such as fans or air conditioning. Instead, they will work with customers to set up payment plans or, if necessary, delay disconnecting the utility until the temperatures dip below a certain level.
 
Your water system might consider a similar plan in cases of extreme weather. Keep track of delinquencies but delay cutoffs until the loss of water, when combined with the heat and drought conditions, no longer poses a serious health threat. Such a plan protects your system and your customers, and gives your customers a chance to make up for the late payment. If you choose to do this, state in your policy at what level the heat or drought should be before the cutoff delay is put in place. Despite delaying the cutoff, it’s important to continue trying to collect on delinquencies. After all, your water system has to pay its bills as well.

If water must be shut off to customers, either for repairs or to keep demand from draining reserves, be sure your customers are made aware well in advance. Use all forms of media, including newspapers, radio, television and even your web site, to provide a schedule if possible. The media also can help get the word out about the importance of water conservation when your system is reaching its limits. While there may be a few that still want to water their lawn or wash their car, most customers will understand and work with your water system. Communication is the key.
The Environmental Protection Agency also offers advice to customers on making it through a drought. It provides suggestions for before and during a drought to residences, schools, industries and utilities. A link to their drought information page is provided below.

Droughts can be tough to handle, and persistent ones can be devastating, both to a water system and to its customers. But planning, cooperation and communication can help ease everyone through the toughest, driest weather.

Additional Resources
EPA – Severe Drought
http://www.epa.gov/naturalevents/drought.html