City of Hot Springs also asking for water conservation

As the hot, dry weather continues, Hot Springs Municipal Utilities encourages city residents to learn ways to conserve water and help preserve the city’s water supply throughout the summer.

Hot Springs residents are asked to adopt a proactive approach to wise water consumption. Currently, the city has the capability to produce a total of 23.5 million gallons per day (MGD) from the city’s two water treatment plants. The average daily usage is 15 MGD; however, on June 24, customer demand reached the peak daily usage of 22.3 MGD, which is the city’s maximum day demand for 2011 to date, and is nearing the city’s all-time maximum day demand of approximately 22.9 MGD. The city continues to make repairs to the water distribution system as leaks are identified, in efforts to reduce unaccounted for water and restore some production capacity.

Should extreme water usage or other unforeseen emergencies arise, citizens will be asked to implement water conservation measures as directed by the city’s water conservation plan. Phase 1 of the plan calls for voluntary measures; Phase 2 requires mandatory conservation. At present, residents are encouraged to adopt voluntary water conservation measures as listed below.

“Saving water saves everyone money,” said Richard Penn, Utilities Director. “Those who practice water conservation can also help reduce their monthly water utility bill.”

Municipal Utilities offers the following water conservation tips:

* Check faucets for leaks. A slow drip can waste 15 to 20 gallons per day.

* Put a bit of food coloring in each toilet tank and watch for a few minutes. Color in the bowl indicates a toilet leak, which in turn could cause a loss of up to 100 gallons per day.

* Keep showers to a reasonable length – five minutes for showering and five inches in the tub are good guidelines.

* Water the lawn early or late in the day. After 10 a.m., evaporation robs the soil of moisture. Therefore, watering in midday heat does not get absorbed efficiently.

* Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways, walks and patios.

* Wash the car on the lawn instead of the driveway.