Bill Baker, Sallisaw city manager, issued a press release Tuesday asking Sallisaw residents and water customers to reduce water usage as much as possible until further notice.
Because of the lack of rainfall, Brushy Lake, the city's only water reservoir, is at a very low level, and that level continues to drop between three and four inches per week, Baker said.
Baker said there is no measuring device on the lake, but he has been told that the lake is currently at about 50 percent capacity.
He said when looking at normal pool elevation, the lake has receded at least 50 feet. "That's quite a bit," he said.
Baker said he has spoken to residents who have lived in the area all their lives and they are saying the lake is the lowest they have seen it. "That's serious," he said.
Baker said that if the area doesn't experience normal spring rains, the lake could drop to a level by late summer that would make it impossible to deliver water to the city's water treatment plant.
"Obviously, we must do everything possible to avoid this situation," Baker said. "Since we have no guarantee of rain, we must immediately begin conserving water."
He said the city's water superintendent is currently monitoring the lake level and reporting the findings to Baker each week. Baker said for the last month the level has dropped three to four and a half inches weekly.
While asking residents to conserve is voluntary right now, it may be necessary to impose mandated restrictions in the future, such as water rationing.
"We can't let it get to the point where the lake is so low it's drawing silt and mud," Baker said.
Baker explained that there are three water intake points in the lake and when the lake gets lower, water is drawn from the bottom intake point, which is near the bottom of the lake. If the lake gets so low that it draws silt and mud, the city will have serious problems because the water treatment plant won't be able to treat the water.
Baker said asking residents to conserve is a precaution, and the city wants residents to understand why conserving is necessary. Baker emphasized that there is no imminent emergency that the city will run out of water.
"That is not an option," Baker said, noting the impact of water on the community, from sanitary needs to industry and fire protection.
"It affects everything we do really," he said.
He said some ways for residents to conserve include not letting their water run while brushing their teeth, curtailing showering from a 45-minute leisurely shower to 10 to 15 minutes, and using a sprayer or a bucket when washing their cars.
Baker said if residents just do those things, they will be surprised by how much water can be saved.
The town of Roland is in the same boat as Sallisaw and is also asking residents to conserve. David Redden, town administrator, said he expects the town council at their next meeting to formally ask residents to conserve water.
Redden said the first month would be voluntarily, but after that, there could be mandates.
"You've gotta do something," he said.
He said when lake levels get lower, the cost to treat the water is more expensive. A chemical engineer came in and looked at the town's water treatment system to help find ways to treat the water while keeping costs down.
Redden said the town's lake has dropped about 15 feet since September. He said the 54-acre lake supplies water to about 1,100 customers and also sells water to Sequoyah County Rural Water.
"We're just hoping for the spring rains," Redden said.
The town of Muldrow's decreasing lake level also prompted Muldrow city officials to ask residents in December to start conserving.
Last month, the town began asking residents to cut outdoor watering and be more conscientious when it comes to water usage.
In Muldrow, according to rainfall measurements taken at their water treatment plant, the town has received 37.5 inches of rainfall from January through the end of November, compared to 2004's total rainfall of 63.3 inches.
Town officials reported last month that the normal elevation at the intake structure in the lake is supposed to be 33 feet, but that level dropped between eight and nine feet in December.
The Oklahoma Mesonet Web site reports that the last year has been the sixth driest year (as of Jan. 2) since 1921 in east central Oklahoma. Total rainfall for the area is reported at 29.57 inches for the year, which is 16.52 inches below normal.
