Springfield could face water rationing if drought continues

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Springfield could face unprecedented water rationing if a persistent drought continues to drain two lakes that supply the city's drinking water, City Utilities officials say.

Rural residents, meanwhile, are concerned the drought may be tapping out wells, and well companies report an increase in the number of calls and the depth of wells they're drilling.

Roddy Rogers, director of CU's water division, said the utility has been pumping water almost continuously from Stockton Lake to Fellows and McDaniel lakes since July to help keep the two drinking water lakes from dropping too low.

Normally, spring rains help fill the lakes and lessen the need to run the Stockton pumps.

But if the drought continues, Rogers said, CU might need to implement its emergency water conservation plan. Rogers said that's never happened yet, although CU came close to implementing the conservation plan during a drought in the early 1980s.

That plan goes into effect when total water storage at McDaniel and Fellows drops to 50 percent or lower.

Wednesday, the lakes were 68.8 percent full and continuing to drop.

The conservation plan would kick in a variety of forced conservation measures, such as limiting lawn sprinkling.

Swimming pools could not be filled. Restaurants couldn't serve water unless a customer specifically asked. The price of water would go up significantly.

"I like to say that we can store it, treat it and deliver it, but we can't create it," Rogers told the Springfield News-Leader for a story Friday.

Outside the city, well drillers say they're seeing increasing numbers of rural wells going dry or losing pressure.

"Within the last two or three months we've had five or 10 calls from people whose wells went dry," said Leslie McCarthy of Wil-Co Drilling.

In Dallas County, she said, wells typically are 300 to 350 feet deep. New wells are being drilled 450 feet deep.

Jerry Bader, owner of Southwest Missouri Well Drilling Co., said the Ozarks water table is declining.

"We drilled a new well at Silver Bell mobile home park in Rogersville," he said. "Their 425-foot well went dry, and we drilled a new one down to 685 feet. We drilled two wells recently in Branson that were 925 feet and 960 feet deep."

Andy and Tammy Sims, of Buffalo, say they've been forced to shower at relatives' homes, ration toilet flushes and buy drinking water due to a well that's on the verge of going dry.

Their landlord paid for a new well to be drilled, but the Simses and their two children will be without a steady supply of water until the new pump is installed.

"It sure makes you appreciate having water," Tammy Sims said.