Thursday, April 15, 1999
Local business owners pouring in suggestions
for city’s drought plan
By ANTHONY WILSON
Staff Writer
City Hall sought the private sector’s help Wednesday in
plugging the leaks in Abilene’s drought contingency plan,
preparing for the possibility of water rationing this summer.
Among the suggestions were to trigger water restrictions earlier,
to enact penalties for violating the first phase of the three-stage
plan and to ease standards that could hurt businesses.
Though the business people drafted to tweak the ordinance will
mull possible changes over the coming week, water officials were
pleased by the initial recommendations.
 “We’ve got
a situation,” City Manager Roy McDaniel glumly told the group.
“Fort Phantom (Lake) is in pretty bad shape. As of this morning,
the drought is not over. We’re looking fairly seriously at
a curtailment of water use this summer.”
Dwayne Hargesheimer, director of water utilities, agreed. “We
need to concentrate on the waste of water,” he said.
Despite months of water-related warnings, few citizens have
curbed their usage. Perhaps that is because, having enjoyed more
than 5 inches of rainfall this year, Abilenians don’t believe
they’re suffering through a drought, group members said.
However, only a trickle of rainwater has seeped into Fort Phantom
Hill Lake, the city’s primary water source. The lake is mired
in a 22-month stretch in which it has recorded the lowest amount
of inflow in its 58-year history.
Since December, the city has pumped its water solely from Hubbard
Creek Lake. Although Hubbard can supply the city 31 million gallons
per day, its two pipelines can’t provide the 48 million gallons
used on a peak summer day.
If the city is forced to pump more water from Phantom, lake
levels will dip to depths that would trigger the drought contingency
plan.
Stage one is enacted when Phantom is 16 feet below the spillway;
the lake is currently 0.7 feet above that mark.
City officials are already contemplating raising the minimum
levels for each stage by 1 foot.
Because lake levels fall quickly between stages one and two,
citizens on Wednesday urged enacting the first phase earlier,
allowing users more time to adapt to conservation measures.
They also urged penalties that would encourage compliance.
“You should put a little bite in it,” said Scott
Warren, a local landscaper.
Linda Simpson, assistant to the water utilities director, explained
that the first phase lacks penalties because it was envisioned
as a “training stage’’ during which citizens were
given time to learn about the restrictions.
Stage one allows the irrigation of landscapes once every six
days and washing cars only at commercial washes or with shut-off
nozzles. It prohibits landscaping and building companies from
buying water from fire hydrants.
Each violation of stages two and three can result in a minimum
$50 fine.
Stage two takes effect when Phantom’s level dips to 21
feet below the spillway. The ordinance outlaws the watering of
grass, the filling of private pools and the operation of ornamental
fountains. Businesses are also expected to lower their water usage
by 10 percent.
If the lake’s level drops to 24 feet below the spillway,
the ordinance prohibits all outside irrigation and car washes.
Businesses must curtail their usual water usage by 20 percent.
Builder Jeff Luther opposed forcing businesses to reduce their
usage if it risks their production and survival. He recommended
cracking down on water waste in the plan’s first phase, leaving,
for instance, construction crews and car washes to operate as
usual.
Susan Cummins, owner of Double Eagle Car Wash, agreed. She
proposed prohibiting all driveway car washes, noting that coin-fed
washes use six gallons per cycle compared with 150 gallons total
for a hose-and-sponge wash.
“If you cut our water supply, we’re out of business,”
she said.
Hargesheimer said the crafters of the current plan, written
in 1984, insisted that all of Abilene — including businesses
— be touched by the ordinance. City Hall also wanted to avoid
the perception that it was picking on homeowners, he said.
“People want everybody to participate in some way,”
he said. “You can’t live in the city and not do anything.’’
The group will reconvene Wednesday to craft firm recommendations
to the Abilene City Council. Water officials hope to win council
approval of the revised plan by mid-May.
Unless a May shower dumps 4-5 inches on the city, the ordinance
will probably be enacted by June, they said.
The drought contingency plan was enacted only one other time
— for a few months in the summer of 1984.
Anthony Wilson can be reached at 676-6734 or wilsona@abinews.com.
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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