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City to weigh new well for water woes

Williams will run out of water by February or March Ñ unless significant snowfall, or a new well change that.

ÒI think we can get by in February because of the wells,Ó said Ron Stilwell, water superintendent for the city.

Dogtown Lake is so dry the City of Williams raw water report has listed the lakeÕs water level at 0 percent since its June 27 reading. According to city officials, the water in the five reservoirs combined with ground water from the Rodeo Grounds Well and Dogtown Well is expected to last until February or March. The city is currently planning to start another well in December or January.

However, once tourists start to head this way for Spring Break 2003 and water usage increases, shortages are bound to occur, Stilwell said.

Despite recent rainfall, the reservoir levels have remained stagnate. What the rain has done is reduce the usage in town, Stilwell said.

ÒIt doesnÕt really affect the lake levels,Ó Stilwell said.

ÒIt really helps our demand at the water plant. Before the rain, 900,000 to one million gallons were used a day. Since the rain the level has dropped to 600,000 to 700,000 gallons a day.Ó

With both the Dogtown Well and the Rodeo Grounds Well up and running the city can expect 600,000 gallons.

But the Rodeo Well wasnÕt running Monday because of a lightning strike. Stilwell expects the damage will be repaired the end of the week.

ÒAs we speak, Rodeo Well is down because of a lightning strike,Ó Stilwell said Monday. ÒDogtown is pumping 227 gallons a minute or 326,880 gallon a day.Ó

Stilwell said the Rodeo Well accounts for about half of WilliamsÕ daily usage. This means the city is consuming approximately 300,000 to 400,000 gallons a day from storage.

The raw water storage report, as of Monday, states the city has 72 million gallons of water available. The five local reservoirs are at 8 percent of their storage capacity. The last report, dated July 8, listed 84 million in storage, a drop of 12 million gallons in two weeks.

Currently the city is mixing Dogtown Well water with reservoir water.

ÒWeÕre using Dogtown Wells and Cataract Lake,Ó Stilwell said.

Another well, Dogtown II, produced only minimal amounts and collapsed repeatedly.

The city has received complaints about water quality, said Dennis Well, Williams city manager.

ÒWe are getting some brown water complaints,Ó he said. ÒThe water in Cataract will be utilized for the next 30-40 days then Kaibab will be used.Ó

Pat Carpenter, council member, said itÕs time to start planning for another well.

ÒWhen are we going to decide to develop another well?Ó he asked during the July 11 City Council meeting. ÒEven if we have snow pack we wonÕt get run off until March or April.Ó

The council agreed and directed Wells to set up a timeline for a new well.

ÒI think we should direct staff to start work on a tentative December or January start date,Ó said Ken Edes, Williams mayor. ÒI think we need to drill a well.Ó

One council member said he believes Dogtown Well II can still produce.

ÒIÕm still confident there is something there,Ó said Dan Barnes. ÒI think we should go out there and cement it and see what happens.Ó

After water rates increased in June, the number of water haulers decreased.

ÒThe number dropped dramatically,Ó said Stilwell. ÒWe had two commercial haulers turn in their meters because they donÕt want to haul from here anymore.Ó

Stilwell said approximately 4,000 Coconino County residents used Williams as a water source before the rate increase.

Water restrictions

The city is currently at resource status level four, which is considered a water crisis. However, this does not mean level four restrictions are in place.

ÒWeÕre at level four to send a message there is a problem,Ó said Joe Duffy, city finance director. ÒWeÕre going to incrementally implement the restrictions. City water haulers can still haul to residents only. Not commercially.Ó

The number of gallons the water haulers are taking from town is low, Wells said.

ÒItÕs a small percent of the total,Ó he said. ÒWater goes three places Ñ the city, air evaporation and the ground.Ó

Using the water available before it disappears is an issue, Wells said.

ÒLetÕs say we were not pulling from the reservoirs they would still evaporate,Ó he said. ÒThere is a good urge to use the water while itÕs there.Ó

The good news is that Williams residents conserve water well.

ÒThe average water usage of a family of four in Phoenix is 11,000 to 15,000 gallons a month,Ó said Wells. ÒHere for a family of four itÕs 5,000 to 7,000. Out in the country itÕs even less.Ó

Wells said he has confidence in local residents and the city council doing their part.

ÒWe will get through this drought,Ó he said. ÒWeÕre on target. There is nothing we havenÕt expected and weÕre through June.Ó


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