The Lansing State Journal
Area residents put strain on water supply
By Sharon Terlep
July 29, 2001
Mid-Michigan residents have used near-record amounts of water this summer to
keep cool and salvage their greenery.
Scorching heat and arid weather has sapped lawns, gardens and pocketbooks in
mid-Michigan - one of the areas hardest hit by near-drought conditions across
the state.
The Lansing Board of Water and Light pumped more than 25 percent more water
this month than the average July. The utility used 39.1 million gallons on July
20 - the year's second-hottest at 90 degrees.
That was 400,000 gallons short of a 1979 record, said BWL spokesman John Strickler.
The utility - which supplies water to Lansing, East Lansing and all or parts
of nine area townships - isn't even close to restricting water usage.
In Mason and Williamston - not supplied by BWL - residents are being asked to
limit the days they water their parched lawns, flowers and vegetables.
"I've already had people calling me saying, `It rained, can I water my
yard yet?' " said Joe Dean, Mason's director of public works. "We
need more than that."
At about $3 for every 1,000 gallons used, the cost adds up.
"We try not to water that much," said Phyllis Reeser of Mason, where
residents are restricted to watering lawns on alternating days to avoid a shortage.
The restrictions will last until Mason gets several inches of regular rain.
She mostly uses water to keep her bright garden of petunias and geraniums alive.
"I just buy low-maintenance flowers."
Rainfall in the Lansing area this month is less than 0.5 inches - almost 2 inches
less than what it should be in July.
Williamston also has restricted water use earlier this month. Residents north
of Grand River can water lawns on odd-numbered days.
Those living south of Grand River are watering on even days.
In Mason, residents and business owners are told to only use sprinklers for
short periods of time. Those with even addresses can water lawns on even days
and vice versa.
The restrictions are needed because there won't be enough pressure to pump the
water if the water level drops too low.
The last significant rainfall was in mid-June, said Jeffrey Andresen, a Michigan
State University professor of geography. In May, the Lansing area got about
2 inches more rain than usual, he said.
Since then, some places have seen rain, but not enough to make a difference,
Dean said.
Rain would be nice for Beverly Hopkins of Williamston, whose prickly brown 12-acre
lawn is too large to water.
"I feel like we're living on a prairie," said Hopkins, a media specialist
for the Lansing School District.
"We could grow cactuses out here."
Contact Sharon Terlep at 377-1066 or sterlep@lsj.com.
Publication
Terlep, Sharon, 2001, Area residents put strain on water supply, The Lansing State Journal, Sunday, July 29, 2001
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