THANKS FOR RESPONDING TO WATER SHORTAGE

A broken main in Cape Girardeau spewing 2,000 gallons of water a minute was too much for the city's water system that was already strained by the heat wave. Water was being used faster than it could be produced, and reserves were being dipped into.

It's hard to ask residents to stop using water except for necessities during a hot spell. Gardeners want to water their gardeners. Homeowners want to water their lawns. Swimming pools need to be topped off. Vehicles need to be washed.

But the city asked residents to voluntarily cut back on water until the water system was able to keep up with demand.

You know what? That's exactly what folks did. They stopped using so much water. It gave the water system a much-needed break. The broken main was repaired. We avoided a true emergency.

That's a good way to solve this kind of problem. Just ask for help and expect good people to respond accordingly.

Thanks, Cape Girardeans, for recognizing how easily a serious situation could shift into a dangerous situation. Thanks for voluntarily cutting back on your water usage.

By all estimates, improvements to the water system that already have begun should alleviate these short-term shortages for the foreseeable future. But along the way there may be other times when citizens are called upon to ease up a bit and help out.

It is reasonable to expect folks will be just as accommodating them as there were this past week.