CITY ASKS RESIDENTS TO SAVE ON WATER, NOT BURN

Dry, cracked ground and withering plants are suffering through the summer heat, but so are the residents of Cape Girardeau.

Temperatures soared into the upper 90s with a heat index of 105 degrees on Thursday following comparable heat on Wednesday.

City officials have issued a voluntary water conservation order again and a request to limit open burning. The first water conservation order this season was issued in July.

Now the city is asking residents to comply again. When the temperatures rise, people tend to use more water, said Kevin Priester of Alliance Water Resources.

The city's water reserves are being used to meet the current demands. "Continued hot and dry weather has kept water demand at or above water-treatment-plant production capacity," he said.

The hot, dry conditions also prompted the city's fire department to issue its request. Under normal conditions, limited burning is permitted in the city. However, Fire Marshal Steve Niswonger has asked that no burning be done since the weather increases the risk for fires to burn out of control.

A construction project should increase water production at the plant on Cape Rock Drive. Voters approved a quarter-cent sales tax to upgrade the water system in 1996. Improvements include additional water filters and pumping capacity and larger supply mains from the plant into the city system. A 1.75-million-gallon water-storage tank has already been completed.

Once construction, which should take about a year, is complete at the plant residents won't likely be asked to conserve water as often, Priester said.

Until then, he offers some suggestions for how to conserve water:

* Take short showers.

* Run dishwashers and washing machines with full loads only.

* Check for leaks in faucets, toilets and hoses.

* Don't let the water run while washing cars or lawn furniture.

* Water lawns only when necessary and then only in the early morning or late evening hours.

"We are monitoring the water situation on a day-to-day basis," said Public Works Director Doug Leslie. "Further measures may become necessary depending on the heat and the duration of the dry spell."