KEEPING UP WITH WATER USE; JACKSON MAY HAVE TO LOOK FOR ALTERNATE SOURCES

JACKSON -- On hot summer days, residents use almost every drop of water the City of Jackson can pump and treat.

The city is trying to keep up with its burgeoning water needs. Its fifth well is a month or so from coming on line, and plans to drill a sixth well already are being laid.

But Public Works Director Jim Roach says the city may have to start looking for alternative sources of water.

The city's newest well is located on the west side of town in the Strawberry Lane area. It has an output of 450 gallons per minute, which is considered average.

The new well is 1,690 feet deep, which is comparable to the depth of the city's other wells.

"We're getting water from a fairly deep aquifer. I'm not sure we can just continue to do that," Roach said.

"I don't know how many more we can do until we get to the point that that's all that aquifer can provide."

As the city continues its rapid growth, Roach said, it needs to investigate alternate sources of water such as a surface reservoir or aquifers of different depths.

"I suspect we will be doing some type of water study," he said.

The city works with the Missouri Geological Survey to determine the best places to locate a well. Currently, those are in the northwest part of Jackson.

Chances are the sixth well, which probably won't be drilled until after the first of the year, would have to be located west of the one just about to come on line.

"We're getting close to the city limits," Roach said. "We're going to have to evaluate that situation and see whether we can obtain the property."

Roach would like the city to have two or three days of water storage.

"It's not inconceivable that if we had a long stretch of drought days we may have to look at some water rationing," he said.

Low water pressure is another effect of the lack of storage. Pressure is always something we are aware of from the standpoint of convenience and it's something the fire department is very aware of," Roach said.

The city is in a race to keep up with the water needs of its residents. Roach said the city used 2 million gallons of water a day during a hot spell a few weeks back. "That's pushing our system pretty hard," he said.

"...We're growing so fast. We're trying to keep up and keep ahead of it if we can."