Drought prompts restrictions

As one of the worst droughts in history continues to plague the South, two local utility departments are asking customers to conserve water.

Falling water levels at its main reservoir forced Russellville Utilities to switch to an alternate lake last week.

"We're asking everyone to begin conserving water now to make sure we still have enough later on," said Doug Clement, manager of the Russellville Water and Sewer Board.

"If they take 30-minute showers, just cutting back to 15 minutes will help."

The call for conservation in Franklin County is voluntary. But for the 1,375 customers of the Summertown Utility District in Lawrence County, Tenn., water conservation is mandatory.

An official for the utility said two of the system's five wells are running low of water. The utility is buying water from Lawrenceburg to ensure its customers have enough for essential uses.

Summertown utility customers are forbidden from watering lawns or gardens, washing cars, sidewalks or driveways, using water for dust control or firefighter training. Restaurants can only serve water when requested by a patron.

Failure to comply may result in water service being shut off.

Until the crisis eases, the Summertown utility will not connect new customers to the water system.

Clement hopes mandatory water restrictions can be avoided in Franklin County. Russellville Utilities supplies water to about 80 percent of the county's residents.

The water level at Lake Elliott, the utility's primary reservoir, is more than 10 feet below normal and officials are now pumping water from Cedar Creek Lake north of Belgreen, Clement said.

Franklin County missed much of the heavy rain that drenched parts of north Alabama last week, he said.

"The rain didn't do us much good," he said. "It stopped the level of Lake Elliott from falling, but it didn't make it come up any."

Clement said Russellville Utilities will pump water from Cedar Creek Lake until Lake Elliott refills.

It could be weeks, or even months, before the reservoir's level returns to normal.

Dave Nadler, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Huntsville, said there is no end in sight to the drought that began more than a year ago.

"It's going to take five, six, seven or eight months of above-normal rainfall to get us out of this drought," Nadler said. "Right now, the chances of that happening are pretty slim. Rainfall for the next three months is expected to be about normal. It doesn't look good for the drought ending anytime soon."

Rainfall in the Shoals is more than 14 inches below normal with no significant rain expected through at least Wednesday.

"We have a chance of rain Monday and Tuesday, but right now it doesn't look like there will be very much," Nadler said.

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@timesdaily.com.