Summer Drought Arrives Early

The grass in my back yard sounds like I'm walking on corn flakes and the more I think about it, it sort of has the color of corn flakes. We are very dry and the usual dry season that comes in August has arrived early. You know for sure the dry season is upon us when the dam on the Buckhannon River behind West Virginian Split Rail no longer has water going over the spillway.

Our drinking water supply comes from the Buckhannon River and when the water stops going over the spillway, the Buckhannon River watershed has approximately 70 days of water reserve. If we are faced with an extended period without adequate rainfall, the drinking water supply could reach extremely low reserves.

The Buckhannon River water shed can be impacted by a number of factors. One factor is the number of fallen trees in the waterway. Fallen trees cause a reduction in the flow of water and when water slows it deposits silt. The more silt that is deposited, the less water can be retained behind the dam. Removing fallen trees would decrease the rate of bottom silting. Removing all the fallen trees in the water ways would decrease cover and fish populations might decrease. As always there are a variety of issues to consider before any actions are taken. To my knowledge, there are no immediate plans to remove trees from the Buckhannon River.

Another factor impacting our water shed is removal of water upstream of the dam. I was told that water is removed from the river to support gas well drilling operations. I do not know if this is true but for discussion purposes lets say it is. We use about 1.6 million gallons of water per day. If an equivalent amount is removed for drilling on a daily basis, the 70 day water reserve could be drastically reduced.

I mention the early drought, the 70 day reserves and the water shed issues only to raise awareness that our water is not an infinite resource. Water rationing is not in the immediate future but good water conservation habits should be routine for all.

If you think you have a water leak, the city water department can assist in leak detection and can be reached by calling 304.472.1651.