City residents urged to conserve water

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July 25, 2012

City residents urged to conserve water

By Denise Richardson Staff Writer The Daily Star Wed Jul 25, 2012, 03:30 AM EDT

The city of Oneonta urged continued water conservation efforts despite heavy rainfall this week.

Mayor Dick Miller said Tuesday that no further emergency notices are expected, but concerns remain for the supply to be ready for the return of college students, which will trigger an increase of water use by a third.

As of Monday, the water level at the city's upper reservoir was down by 12 inches, Miller said. The Catella Well in Wilber Park is pumping at capacity, he said, and the city is looking at installing a larger pump.

Oneonta's college population of about 7,000 undergraduate students will begin arriving in less than a month.

New students at the State University College at Oneonta will arrive Aug. 19 to 21, and classes begin Aug. 22. At Hartwick College, which enrolls 1,500 students, classes begin Sept. 4.

"Voluntary conservation makes sense," Miller said.

The city issued a media release earlier this month that mild drought conditions were present. Though the Board of Public Service hadn't declared a drought emergency, the city asked for public assistance through water conservation to avoid more stringent measures later.

On July 16, the city used its "Global Connect" telephone system to automatically call residents with a water-conservation message.

Conservation measures encouraged, the release said, are:

"¢ Check fixtures for leaks and make repairs.

"¢ Curtail outdoor water use, including car washing, lawn sprinkling and filling outdoor pools.

"¢ Fill water jugs and put them in a refrigerator, rather than running water at a faucet until it is cold.

"¢ Install flow restrictors on showers.

Rainfall and water levels have had an impact at Hanford Mills Museum in East Meredith. Mill operators stopped using the water wheel for power around July 4 because the water level in the pond was too low, Executive Director Liz Callahan said Tuesday.

The museum has been using alternative sources of energy, such as a steam boiler, which will be a focus for activities in the future, she said.

Almost every year, the museum opts to stop using the water wheel during dry spells, Callahan said, but this year is the first time since 1988 that the wheel has been stopped for a prolonged period.

Rain this week may have provided sufficient water to restore levels in the pond, she said, but the museum is taking a wait-and-see approach to turning the water wheel on again.

"We're going week by week to see if Mother Nature gives us a little more water," Callahan said.

The National Weather Service in Binghamton has forecast hazardous weather for central and southeastern New York today through Monday. Showers and thunderstorms are expected Thursday and Thursday night, the online report said, with some severe storms with strong winds, hail and heavy rainfall possible.

Elsewhere, capacity at the Cannonsville Reservoir is at 76 percent and at the Pepacton Reservoir, 92 percent, according to nyc.gov. Neversink Reservoir is at 71 percent capacity, the website said Tuesday, and the Schoharie Reservoir is at 70 percent capacity.