U.S. Water News Online
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Communities across Iowa are preparing for a long, dry summer by restricting the use of water.
Restaurants in Winterset have been asked to only serve water when customers ask for it. Residents also have been asked by city officials to conserve water, to avoid drastic rationing later.
A handwritten notice on the door of the city clerk's office in Menlo asks the town's 350 residents to ``conserve water as much as possible.''
Officials in small communities have called the Iowa Rural Water Association office in Newton for sample water conservation plans.
``I know there are a lot of small communities out there suffering,'' executive director Mark Dickey said.
The dry weather also is affecting business.
Officials at Lakeside Casino Resort suspended daily riverboat cruises because of low levels at West Lake in Osceola. The casino remains open for gambling.
Most of the state is experiencing severe or moderate drought.
The period of Sept. 1 through May 1 was the second-driest eight-month stretch in 128 years of record keeping, state climatologist Harry Hillaker said. Just 9.53 inches of precipitation has fallen, compared to the normal 16.54 inches.
The chance of replenishing lakes, rivers, and groundwater supplies will diminish greatly if the state does not receive significant rainfall soon, he said.
The North Raccoon River at Jefferson, the Des Moines River at Ottumwa, and the Skunk River at Ames were at their lowest levels ever for May 5, Hillaker said.
``After June 1, even in a normal year, we're usually losing more water through evaporation than we're getting from rainfall,'' he said.
The conditions have captured the attention of state emergency management officials.
The last time the state experienced a severe drought -- in the late 1980s -- the National Guard hauled water to parched towns in southern Iowa.
``Our office is certainly trying to get information and trying to get a feel for conditions around the state,'' Ellen Gordon, the state's emergency management director, said.
In Menlo, three shallow wells have struggled to keep up with demand. John Freeman, who is in charge of public works, said a water line from nearby Stuart that is being completed will mean that the town will not have to rely on additional rainfall.
Cedar Lake, which supplies Winterset with water, is more than 5 feet below normal.
Winterset Water Superintendent Dale Barrie, who has worked at the water plant for 18 years, said this is the lowest level he has seen. The only other time the lake dropped to this level was last fall, he said.
Utilities officials asked residents three months ago to voluntarily conserve. They suggested repairing leaky faucets and adding plastic containers to toilet tanks to reduce the amount of water used for each flush.
They recently met with the city's largest water consumers to develop contingency plans if conditions worsen.
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