U.S. Water News Online
HAMMOND, La. -- A severe drought coupled with residential growth exceeding well supply capacity have led to voluntary water restrictions in two water systems in Tangipahoa Parish, officials said.
The drought also has triggered bans on open burning of trash and debris in Tangipahoa and St. Tammany parishes.
The Tangipahoa Parish Water District and the city of Ponchatoula have asked residents to voluntarily cut back on water usage, particularly the use of water for lawns and landscaping.
Water-use and burn restrictions are in place until further notice, officials said.
Officials throughout the Florida Parishes, from Bogalusa to Denham Springs, said they are monitoring the situation but have seen no need yet to follow suit.
"They are using water like it's going out of style," said Preston Killcrease, manager of the Livingston Parish Ward 2 Water District.
Tangipahoa Parish government issued a voluntary request to residents west of Interstate 55 between La. 22 and La. 40 to reduce water usage and restrict watering lawns to once a week because the water district is experiencing critically low water pressure.
If the voluntary restrictions are not followed, Parish President Gordon Burgess said he will consider issuing mandatory restrictions on watering lawns that carry civil penalties if broken.
"My grass is dead in my yard," Burgess said. "I can't afford to water it. I have my own well."
The explosive growth in residential development in Tangipahoa Parish since Hurricane Katrina has led to more rapid expansion than anticipated for the water district. The district is connecting 120 new lines a month post-Katrina compared to about 50 a month before the storm, said Charles Schlicher, systems manager for the water district.
The increased usage has taxed the system's pumping capacity, and its 12 wells can't pump water fast enough to meet the ever-increasing demand, board member Dickie Davidge said during a special meeting of the water district's board.
The district has been anticipating growth -- just not at the post-Katrina pace, Davidge said.
It has been designing and preparing for a new well and 500,000-gallon storage tank for the past year, but the earliest the project will come on line is fall.
"We can't wave a magic wand and produce more water," Davidge said.
Ponchatoula has a voluntary restriction in place, but the city's situation is far less severe than the rural districts, Mayor Bob Zabbia said.
The Ponchatoula system has seen its water storage drop to about 70 percent of its tank capacity and asked for conservation to ensure a water supply for emergencies, he said.
The entire Florida Parishes region is in the throes of a severe drought, the National Weather Service in Slidell has said. Slidell has had 8.4 inches of rain since January, and Hammond has had 12.14 inches from January through May, meteorologist Tim Destri said.
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