Wednesday, June 16, 1999
Rains help to raise lake levels
By ANTHONY WILSON
Staff Writer
Weekend showers made significant waves in Abilene’s water
usage and lake levels, reducing the former and raising the latter.
Mining water from the rushing Clear Fork of the Brazos River,
city water officials were able to pump more than 2 feet of water
back into Fort Phantom Hill Lake, probably delaying the need for
water rationing until mid-July.
Meanwhile, water usage has dipped dramatically from a high
of 33.53 million gallons on Wednesday to a low of 17.449 million
gallons Sunday.
Both circumstances were fueled by more than 2¤ inches
of much-needed rainfall on Friday and Saturday.
Though parched ground in Phantom’s watershed soaked up
much of the moisture, the Clear Fork captured enough water for
the city to pump into its primary water source, which had evaporated
to nearly one-third its capacity.
With the Clear Fork yielding 650 million gallons per day since
Sunday night, Phantom’s lake levels had risen from about
16 feet below the spillway to 13.8 feet Tuesday morning. Although
the lake gained nearly 1 foot between Monday and Tuesday, the
rise was expected to cease today.
“It’s just a drop in the bucket,” said Linda
Simpson, assistant to the water director, “but it’s
a big drop — enough to see a change in elevation.’’
The rise in other area lakes was more pronounced.
About 4 inches of rain lifted Lake Thomas, Snyder’s primary
water source, 16.78 feet to its highest level in 5¤ years.
With Thomas now at 21.6 percent of its capacity, the Colorado
Municipal Water District can stop pumping water from Ivie and
Spence reservoirs into the lake. Chris Wingert, the water district’s
assistant general manager, said Thomas holds enough water to supply
Snyder the rest of this year and most of next year even if not
another drop of rain falls in 1999.
“It’s kind of hard to say we’re out of the woods,”
Wingert said.
CMWD officials were still waiting for rainwaters to wash down
the Colorado River to Spence Reservoir in Coke County. They were
projecting the runoff would raise Spence’s level 3-4 feet
to about 16.5 percent of its capacity.
Currently, Spence is only 13.7 percent full and 52 feet below
its spillway.
The rains only minimally affected Hubbard Creek Lake, which
rose about half a foot. Temporarily Abilene’s primary water
source, Hubbard is less than 5 feet below its spillway.
Phantom’s higher elevation is now more than a foot above
the mark at which water rationing could be triggered.
City officials have vowed to avoid initiating the restrictions
as long as water usage remains less than 32 million gallons per
day.
Thus far, rainfall frequency and high temperatures have been
the best indicator of how much water the city will use on a given
day.
Usage exceeded 33 million gallons Wednesday as temperatures
crept into the 90s. When the rains came on Friday and Saturday,
usage plummeted to about 17 million gallons — slightly more
than is needed to meet citizens’ basic needs, water officials
say.
On Tuesday, Simpson was contacting local businesses that continue
to water their lawns every day even after the showers. Ground
still dampened by the rains shouldn’t need more water until
Sunday at the earliest, she said, noting temperatures this week
have been unseasonably cool.
The biggest water wasters, Simpson said, are property owners
who refuse to adjust their automatic sprinklers.
“We get everything from ‘I didn’t know,’
to ‘I don’t care,’ to ‘No, I need to water
this often,’ to a lot of cooperation,” she said. “There’s
a whole range of reactions.’’
Although city officials had projected rationing would be necessary
by July 1, the added water in Phantom coupled with milder weather
should postpone that prospect a couple of weeks, Simpson said.
“We won’t do that until we have no choice and absolutely
have to,” she said. “The rain has bought us a little
time.
“Of course, a couple of feet (in Phantom) goes fast in
a hot summer. The minute temperatures soar is when consumption
goes out the window. Then is when we’ll see if people are
really conserving.”
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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