Hecla Water Association issued a voluntary water conservation request to customers Tuesday, saying its wells have hit critical levels.

Wednesday, June 14, 2000

Hecla Water Association issued a voluntary water conservation request to customers Tuesday, saying its wells have hit critical levels.

"It’s not an emergency but it can quickly become one before the month of June runs out," said Regina Fields, Hecla Water’s public relations and marketing director.

The association asks that customers conserve water by not fill swimming pools, watering lawns or using excess water, Ms. Fields said.

The conservation notice will be in effect for about two months, enough time for Hecla to finish development of additional wells, she said.

Lawrence Water will follow suit on the conservation notice because it purchases water from Hecla.

"This is a voluntary request right now," Ms. Fields said, adding the action could be mandatory if well levels continue to decrease.

Water in the association’s 4-foot diameter, 70-feet deep wells in Rome Township is three feet above the point where the system runs out, she said.

Hecla ran out of water in late fall after last summer’s drought, which also forced conservation notices.

Winter precipitation recharged the wells. And, even though well levels were lower this spring than in past years, they were not at the critical level.

"Everybody did a good job last year conserving then we received five inches of rain in February," Ms. Fields said.

What concerns Hecla now is the low water levels comes at a time when the typically wet spring season is ending and the typically dry summer season is beginning, she said.

"We didn’t know ourselves until we put the month of May’s data into the computer and looked at it," Ms. Fields said.

"If we were in spring, we wouldn’t be as concerned, but we’re not in that wet season now."

So far this year, rain gauges at Hecla’s water plant show the area has received 14 inches of rain.

Yet, the normal rain for the entire year is 40 inches, so the ground has received half as much rain as it should to recharge wells, Ms. Fields said.

"And we’re not going to get the extra during the summer months," she said.

Many county residents have already felt the effect of less rain than usual.

People whose wells have gone dry lined up most of the day at the association’s Hecla office to buy tank loads of drinking water, Ms. Fields said.

That also indicates the serious need for Hecla customers to conserve, she added.

"We don’t want anybody to suffer but we do want those wasting water to leave water for everyone," Ms. Fields said. "This is a drinking water system."

Hecla hopes the situation does not lead to mandatory conservation, where those abusing water sources could be fined, but does want customers to exercise common sense by cutting back, she said.

Hecla also hopes to remedy any impending water shortages by developing additional water wells in Rome. The association had been talking about adding wells for some time. It purchased a field near the water plant earlier this year and drillers are working there now.

"At the end of two months, we should have the new well field finished."