Usage Records Continue - What to Expect

Yesterday was another record breaking water demand day, at nearly 30 million gallons. So what happens when we continue to increase demand?

It is normal for us to see demand increase throughout the summer, eventually topping out around mid-August, then decreasing in mid-September. With the power of both of our water treatment plants combined, we can treat a maximum of 50 Million Gallons of Water per day! While that is an impressive amount of water, it is not the best idea to use the system at full capacity. It can be helpful to think about your car, while you may be able to max out your car at 120 Miles per hour, it's not the best choice to continue to do so regularly.

So what do we do when residential usages increase? As a municipal provider, we are legally required to implement restrictions on water usage when demands creep up towards our capacity. There are certain triggers in place to determine exactly when and how we take action to avoid maxing out our system. These triggers are divided into 3 Categories:

Stage	System Percent	Water Demand	Duration
1- Mild	85%	42.5 MGD	4 Consecutive days
2- Moderate	90%	45 MGD	3 Consecutive days
3- Severe	95%	47.5 MGD	2 Consecutive days

So, for example, if we use 42.5 million gallons of water a day for 4 days in a row, we automatically enter Stage 1 Drought Restrictions, and we will remain in restrictions through the end of September, even if usages decrease. 42.5 Million gallons is 85 % of our 50 Million Gallon Capacity, and can begin to stress our system.

Each stage of drought has stricter guidelines on water usage, and no matter how much water is in the lake, or how rainy it has been, we are required to implement these measures.

When we adhere to the irrigation schedule (which is listed above in the main body of the page) , our demand spikes are not as dramatic, and we are much more likely to avoid entering into Drought Restrictions!