Dry times

In the middle of a once-in-twenty-year drought, the Shoals area has not restricted residential water usage, but that may soon change.

So far this year, the Shoals has received 10.4 inches of rain, 16.8 inches below normal, according to Monday data from the National Weather-Service.

Why is it so dry?

"In the Southeast, it's partially due to the fact that we had an easy hurricane season last year,'' said Dr. Jeff Masters, director of meteorology for WeatherUnderground.com.

"It's part of the natural variability of the weather,'' Masters said. But global warming does have an impact. "The droughts are going to be worse and more severe globally as a result of warmer temperatures.''

The Shoals, with its multiple water supplies and low population density, may not suffer as much as other residential areas of Alabama. None of the local cities are enforcing water restrictions.

"There's plenty of supply; the only problem would be the usage, if everybody starts watering their lawn at once," said Mike Melton, director of the Colbert County Emergency Management Agency.

Several regional utility managers said lawn watering and car cleaning tax water systems, but no regulations restrict the residential water supply.

"As far as I can see we'll have no restriction in the near future," said Richard Green, a certified operator with Leighton Water Department.

Leighton's water supply comes from a well that pumps a quarter million gallons a day, "but we could increase the supply another 30 percent if we needed to," said Green.

Other regional cities are beginning to prepare for potential impacts from the drought.

Florence is expected to consider a new emergency water use plan in case of water shortages.

"We're not experiencing any supply problems; we're not experiencing any demand problems," said Florence water manager Mike Doyle, who is introducing the plan.

Florence has a 24 million gallons per day capacity. While the average consumption is 10 million to 11 million gallons a day, the city is currently consuming 15.5 million gallons per day.

The proposed plan will be based on recommendations from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and consists of four stages of water control. The controls range from a stage 1 "water watch" that includes alternating lawn and garden watering schedules to a stage 4 "water crisis" that prohibits all outdoor water use except, for example, landscape watering with a hand-held hose from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. only.

Likewise, Sheffield, which pulls its water from the Tennessee River, may see restrictions in the future, said Allen Hughes, general manager of Sheffield-Utilities.

"If these conditions continue, we'll be hitting the max that plant can do this month," said Hughes. "In that case, we'll start asking people to start cutting back on their watering of their lawns."

Hughes suggests watering lawns after 9 p.m. after heavy water use periods during the day to avoid the water-evaporating sun.

Sheffield's maximum production is 3 million gallons per day and currently consumes 2 million gallons per day, up from its usual 1.5 million gallons per day.

Already, some minor restrictions have been requested in Sheffield. Last weekend, Sheffield Utilities requested Sheffield school systems not water during the weekend, including sports fields "because we know everyone else is going to be watering," said Hughes.

To conserve water, Hughes also suggests homeowners check their home water systems for any possible leaks.

People can shut off all the water supply in their homes and the water meter should show zero consumption, said Hughes.

Muscle Shoals will have a special meeting today to discuss guidelines on water consumption, said water board member David Yarber.

"We're going to try to put together a plan and review exactly the water situation for Muscle Shoals and review some special projects on expansion, upgrades and new developments," Yarber said. "As of right now, we have not imposed any restrictions on our residents."

Finally, Tuscumbia has possibly been hit hardest by the drought. Its water plant has a capacity of 2.2 million gallons per day, but utilities director David Thorton estimated that the city is consuming 2.7 million gallons per day.

To make up the difference, Tuscumbia now buys some of its water from the interconnected tri-city system and buys roughly 300 gallons a minute.

"That's a lot of water," said Thorton.

The city has been running at or beyond capacity for the past two weeks, said Thorton, who said of the 16 years he's worked, it's the driest he's ever seen.

The driest in 16 years? Try 114. Alabama state climatologist John Christy told The Associated Press last week, "This is the driest period from January to now in Alabama in 114 years."

TimesDaily Staff Writer Trevor Stokes can be reached at 740-5728 or trevor.stokes@timesdaily.com.

Marisa Osorio Colon, of the New York Times Regional Media Group, contributed to this report.