HOT: WATER USE RISES WITH TEMPERATURE

Water consumption in Cape Girardeau hit a record high this month, thanks in part to the July heat wave.

A spokesman for Union Electric's water department said Cape Girardeau residents have been using between 5.8 million and 6.1 million gallons of water per 24 hour day so far this month.

Water Department Superintendent David Goehring said the peak demand for water came on July 1, when 6,439,000 gallons of water were used during a 24-hour period.

Goehring said the 6.4 million gallon mark is a record high for the water department. The previous high mark was 5.9 million gallons on June 23, 1988.

Goehring said some of the increase can be attributed to an increase in the number of water customers in the city, but he said most of the demand is coming from the July heat wave as residents water their gardens, lawns, trees and shrubs.

On Sunday, the temperature at the airport climbed to 97 degrees, making it the second hottest day of the year.

On Monday afternoon, the temperature at the airport reached 98 degrees, making it the second hottest day of the year since July 1, when it reached 99 degrees.

Despite the increased demand for water, Goehring said there is still a good reserve. He noted the older Cape Rock water treatment plant can produce 4.5 million gallons per day, while the newer Ramsey Branch plant, located at South Sprigg and old Highway 61, can produce 2.8 million, for a total amount of 7.3 million gallons.

"We just finished an expansion of the Ramsey Branch water plant that doubled its size, so that should give us sufficient capacity for a while," he said.

The National Weather Service says relief from the current heat wave should arrive in the area later tonight and early Wednesday, as cooler and drier air pushes into the state. Showers and thunderstorms, some of them heavy, are possible later today in some areas of the region.