Gov. Sam Brownback’s visit to Iola on Wednesday as part of a drought tour spurred Iola officials to discuss a three-step plan they have in case things worsen.
“Our people are taking a pro-active approach to the situation by monitoring things closely,” said Bill Shirley, mayor.
In a given week under normal circumstances, the city water supply never drops below 90 percent, said Toby Ross, Iola water superintendent.
However, with multiple consecutive days of 100-degree temperatures and little cloud cover to provide relief, Iolans might have to deal with a harsher reality when it comes to water consumption.
Initially, relatively mild conditions can trigger a move to the water plan. With John Redmond reservoir near Burlington being drained to help keep water flow on the Neosho River going, the first criteria might not be far off.
In stage one of the plan, a drop to 75 percent of total water storage in the reservoir level can be a trigger. Another is what local storage is and what the demand is. If the city exceeds 75 percent or 1.6 million gallons of water per day for five consecutive days, then the plan goes into effect.
What this means for city workers is an increase in quick response actions. The public works department is tasked with repairing leaking valves and hydrants immediately, while other less accessible leaks are mandated to be repaired within 24 hours of detection.
So far there haven’t been any issues with either leaks or the increase in work that must be addressed quickly.
“Things are going pretty smooth right now,” Lyndon Kearn, city water employee, said. “Everything seems to be holding up fine. The guys on the crews are able to get a lot done so there shouldn’t be a problem.”
In terms of the impact on private citizens, outdoor water activities will be curtailed and people will be asked to make more efficient use of water in activities like washing full laundry loads, taking shorter showers and minimize running faucets.
Though the state is at least one-to-two months from possibly going further, a move to stage two would feature additional city responses. The city would stop washing its vehicles and cease watering city grounds.
In addition, along city streets, those who enjoy a green lawn would be asked to water their gardens on either even or odd number days depending on what side of the street someone lives on. Outdoor water use in general would be restricted to between the hours 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Refilling swimming pools would be allowed only once a week and then only after sunset.
In the unlikely event the situation were to turn critical, a water emergency would be declared. The city government would meet in public meeting to discuss the situation, inform the public and plan further actions. In addition the city would meet with large water users like Gates Corporation and Russell Stover Candies to discuss the status of water supplies and actions needed to help conserve remaining reserves.
The average home owner would be prohibited from any outdoor water activity. Waste of water would be strictly prohibited as well.
For now, however, the city maintains its vigil over the situation.
“We aren’t going to let this be a problem we can’t handle,” Ross said. “We know that things might continue to stay this way for a while. We hope it doesn’t, but if it does we will do everything we are supposed to, to take care of things.”
