The Gazette
In a letter to The Gazette that appears in today’s paper, Mayor Frank Johnson wrote that water usage Sunday reached its highest point for the month, though overall use has gone down.
Councilman John Woodhull said residents used 866,000 gallons of water on Sunday, but the average for the week ending Sunday was 783,000 gallons per day, down from the more than 830,000 gallons per day averaged the week before.
‘‘Over the last two weeks, the community has, by and large, responded,” Johnson wrote.
He went on to write that if town water use follows Sunday’s increase rather than the week’s overall decrease, ‘‘we’d have little choice but to impose significant restrictions on water use.”
Johnson’s letter praised residents’ response to earlier requests from the town to limit water use, and he wrote he is ‘‘hopeful” that mandatory water restrictions can be avoided. ‘‘We’ve already shown that we can restrict ourselves voluntarily.”
Woodhull, liaison to the Water and Sewer Commission, agreed. ‘‘If we continue to be careful about it, we won’t have to have restrictions.”
Johnson requested that the people of Mount Airy work together to conserve and to continue making efforts to cut the amount of water used, especially regarding outdoor usage.
‘‘The town specifically asks residents not to use broadcast sprinklers, or water their lawns (except for newly seeded or planted lawns),” Johnson wrote in the letter. ‘‘Watering cans, hand sprinklers or soaker hoses should be the only means used to water gardens where necessary. Water should not be allowed to run while washing cars, brushing teeth or washing dishes. Dishwashers and washing machines should not be run half-full.”
Woodhull said he is optimistic about the progress that the town is making regarding saving water. ‘‘My thinking is that on average, we’re on track,” he said.
At the June Town Council meeting, Woodhull said he would request the mayor mandate water restrictions if the town’s water use did not drop on average to under 825,000 gallons per day. Last week, however, he said he was not planning on making the request because water use did drop.
The town monitors water use within seven-day periods. Staff also has to consider the amount of water permitted by the Maryland Department of the Environment for each month as well as for each year to make sure the town does not exceed its allotment.
The state allows the town to withdraw 748,000 gallons per day from its 10 wells, though the town has a temporary permit for an annual average of 855,000 gallons per day.
‘‘We’re not saying don’t brush your teeth or take showers,” Woodhull said. ‘‘Maybe we don’t have enough [water] to wash cars.”
Councilman John Woodhull said residents used 866,000 gallons of water on Sunday, but the average for the week ending Sunday was 783,000 gallons per day, down from the more than 830,000 gallons per day averaged the week before.
‘‘Over the last two weeks, the community has, by and large, responded,” Johnson wrote.
He went on to write that if town water use follows Sunday’s increase rather than the week’s overall decrease, ‘‘we’d have little choice but to impose significant restrictions on water use.”
Johnson’s letter praised residents’ response to earlier requests from the town to limit water use, and he wrote he is ‘‘hopeful” that mandatory water restrictions can be avoided. ‘‘We’ve already shown that we can restrict ourselves voluntarily.”
Woodhull, liaison to the Water and Sewer Commission, agreed. ‘‘If we continue to be careful about it, we won’t have to have restrictions.”
Johnson requested that the people of Mount Airy work together to conserve and to continue making efforts to cut the amount of water used, especially regarding outdoor usage.
‘‘The town specifically asks residents not to use broadcast sprinklers, or water their lawns (except for newly seeded or planted lawns),” Johnson wrote in the letter. ‘‘Watering cans, hand sprinklers or soaker hoses should be the only means used to water gardens where necessary. Water should not be allowed to run while washing cars, brushing teeth or washing dishes. Dishwashers and washing machines should not be run half-full.”
Woodhull said he is optimistic about the progress that the town is making regarding saving water. ‘‘My thinking is that on average, we’re on track,” he said.
At the June Town Council meeting, Woodhull said he would request the mayor mandate water restrictions if the town’s water use did not drop on average to under 825,000 gallons per day. Last week, however, he said he was not planning on making the request because water use did drop.
The town monitors water use within seven-day periods. Staff also has to consider the amount of water permitted by the Maryland Department of the Environment for each month as well as for each year to make sure the town does not exceed its allotment.
The state allows the town to withdraw 748,000 gallons per day from its 10 wells, though the town has a temporary permit for an annual average of 855,000 gallons per day.
‘‘We’re not saying don’t brush your teeth or take showers,” Woodhull said. ‘‘Maybe we don’t have enough [water] to wash cars.”
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