WATER CONSERVATION TO CONTINUE

A spattering of rain Monday wasn't enough for city officials to consider lifting a request that Cape Girardeau residents conserve their water use.

Late last week residents were urged to cut back on water use, which had increased some 1.5 million gallons over average daily use because of hot weather.

Taking shorter showers, doing only full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine, repairing leaking faucets and reducing water used to water grass and other outside tasks were among recommendations to conserve the city's water supply.

Mark Skinner of the city's water department said conserving water use is necessary, despite a brief shower over portions of the city Monday.

Usage is still up, and the rain wasn't significant enough to increase the city's water storage or lessen the amount of water being used daily, Skinner said.

"The northern and eastern parts of town didn't receive any rain, so we still need to conserve water at this time," he said. "We're still running around 6.7 million gallons of water a day."

The city uses, on average, slightly more than 5 million gallons a day.

While most of the increase can be attributed to hot weather, the water supply has also been strained by an increase in customers that has accompanied the city's growth.

Water consumption has increased by more than half since 1983, when the average water use was 3 million gallons a day. City officials project the average use will be more than 7 million gallons a day within 20 years.

The city should be able to handle current needs without straining its reserves next year after an expansion project at the water plant is completed.

Construction began last year to double the capacity of the Cape Rock Water Treatment Plant at 20 E. Cape Rock Drive. The overall two-year, $15 million project will bring water capacity at the Cape Rock plant up from 4.5 million gallons a day to 7.5 million gallons a day.

The capacity will be further boosted when additional water projects are phased in over the next two decades to increase the city's maximum water supply to 10 million gallons a day.

"We should be able to produce more water than the need for the city currently by next year," Skinner said.

In the meantime, the water systems department is trying to reduce water lost through leaks in small water lines to individual residences and businesses.

One such line serving an apartment complex on Clark Street near Independence has leaked since late last week, causing water to collect in the road.

The problem was scheduled for maintenance today, but routine repairs like this one often take longer to complete because they must be coordinated with other utility companies, Skinner said.

"There's always ongoing leaks in a system this large, but when they occur you can't just really run out there and fix them," he said. " On a main line leak that's a different situation because you have an emergency call-in basis with them.".