Friday, July 13, 2012
ROGERS — Sweltering temperatures near the 100-degree mark and limited rainfall are putting a strain on yards, trees and flowers, but it has an upside for water providers.
Water utilities are buying and selling more water than normal, according to officials.
“We delivered 13.7 million gallons on June 18 this year,” said William Evans with the Rogers Water Utilities. “We hit 16 million gallons on July 9. We didn’t get a 16 million-gallon day last year until July 27.”
Rogers Water Utilities sold 330 million gallons in June 2011. This June, the number rose to 370 million gallons, Evans said.
“It’s early. If the heat continues and we don’t get some substantial rain this summer, we will probably set a record for water sales this year,” Evans said.
Water officials from the other major cities in Northwest Arkansas are singing the same song.
“It seems increased water sales started early this year,” said Rene Langston, executive director of Springdale Water Utilities. “We noticed it in May; usually water usage doesn’t surge until June.”
May was a record month for water sales, Langston said. The city sold 507 million gallons in May, compared with 400 million in May 2011.
On June 26, 27 and 29, water use topped 24 million gallons, something that doesn’t usually happen until July and August, according to Springdale figures.
Water use for June this year, 572 million, is 45 million gallons more than last June’s 527 million, Langston said.
Water consumption in Bentonville has been climbing steadily since May as well, said Dean Button, manager of Bentonville Water Utilities Department.
Bentonville sold 221 million gallons in May last year, compared with 316 million this May.
Sales continued to climb in June, according to department records. Last year the department sold 288 million gallons. Water sales soared to 370 million in June, a record for the month, Button said.
“When it’s hot and dry, people use more water,” Button said. “If we don’t get some rain, I suspect sales will continue to climb, and we’ll probably set some more records.”
Fayetteville water sales are following the same pattern, said David Jurgens, utility director.
“Water usage peaked at 25.1 million gallons on June 29, which set a record for June,” Jurgens said.
The average use for June was 18 million gallons, compared with 16 million last year.
“On Aug. 4 last year, our water usage hit 28 million gallons,” Jurgens said, adding he has no idea how high consumption may go this year. “It depends on the weather.”
There doesn’t appear to be a break in the weather anytime soon, according to the National Weather Service in Tulsa, Okla.
“There are a lot of factors involved in how fast water evaporates,” said Amy Jankowski, a Weather Service spokeswoman.
The faster water evaporates, the more water is needed to keep the soil moist and swimming pools filled.
“Wind, temperature, the amount of shade and the humidity level all play a part in water evaporation,” Jankowski said.
The average evaporation rate for a swimming pool is 0.5 to 1 inch of water a day, according to the water vapor table used by the Weather Service. Jankowski said she expects the evaporation rate this summer is closer to 2 inches a day.
Beaver Lake, the water source for Northwest Arkansas, is about 5.5 feet below its normal level, according to the Army Corps of Engineers, which monitors the level.
The lake level may be below normal, but there are still millions of gallons of water available for consumption, said Alan Fortenberry, chief executive officer for Beaver Water District. The district is the regional water treatment facility and furnishes treated water to the four large cities in Northwest Arkansas.
“There isn’t any danger of running out of water or pumping capacity,” Fortenberry said. “We normally produce between 70 million to 80 million gallons of water a day and still have millions of gallons additional capacity.”
The drought didn’t start this year, Fortenberry said. It started last year.
“We had a wet April and May last year, but then it turned hot and dry,” Fortenberry said. “We had a mild winter, and it has continued to be hot and dry. That’s what’s causing the drought.”
The drought is also having an effect on underground water, Fortenberry said.
“The aquifers haven’t had a chance to recharge,” Fortenberry said.
Underground water — the lack of it — is worrying some area farmers who use wells to water crops.
“Our well has never gone dry, but I worry about the possibility it might this year,” said William Laughter as he stood last week in the shade of a canopy, selling vegetables at the Rogers Farmers Market.
“We use our well to irrigate our crops,” the Huntsville resident said.
At A Glance
Drought Facts
Source: National Weather Service