Altus Air Force Base News

 

Water Conservation Continues

  • Published
  • By SrA Jesse Lopez
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- --  The ongoing drought in Southwest Oklahoma has made water conservation a top priority at Altus AFB. Having been at stage-three drought for over a year, Altus AFB strives to continue its conservancy procedures.

Tom Steed Lake, where the City gets its water, sits at 27.2 percent capacity. According to The Bureau of Reclamation, Tom Steed is expected to dry out by August 2021 if the rain continues its trend of the last three years into the reservoir. However, without water intake, Lake Tom Steed will dry up by November 2016.

Championing the preservation of Oklahoma's environmental resources as friends of Altus and patrons of the city water supply, Altus AFB has continued to enforce and comply with local water restraints.

"Everyone is doing their part to save water," said Earl Johnson, Balfour Beatty Communities community manager. "As base residents, we're leaning forward with the commander's priorities of water conservation as serious as conditions are."

Altus AFB residents have adapted to a water restricted life style and water conservation will continue to be an item of importance for both the City of Altus and Altus AFB.

According to City of Altus Emergency Ordinance Number 2013 - 16 during stage-three drought:

All outside water usage is limited to one day per week including but not limited to watering of lawns, trees, shrubs, gardens, bedding plants, and commercial car washes. Customers may only water one day per week until the alert stage is changed. Vehicle washing shall be limited to washing at commercial car washes only, no more than one day per week. Car wash facilities shall be closed one day a week; on the day they are eligible to water shrubs and trees.

Washing or hosing down of sidewalks, driveways and streets, filling of swimming pools or other recreational uses is prohibited. In addition the following shall also apply:

It shall be unlawful to utilize spray irrigation in any but the following hours: 12:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. for automatic sprinkler systems. 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. for hose-end sprinkler systems. It shall be unlawful to operate a soaker hose, bubbler or drip irrigation system in a manner that causes the delivery of more water than the hose, bubbler, or system was intended by the manufacturer to deliver. It shall be unlawful to operate a soaker hose, bubbler or drip irrigation system in a manner that causes water to run down the curb or off the intended area for irrigation. Nursery Plant stock is exempt from the provisions of this section.

It shall be unlawful to operate a water feature on a residential pool, including, but not limited to, fountains, waterfalls, descents, arcs, and slides. If repairing a pool, it shall only be drained to a level necessary to affect the repair, and no further. An owner/operator of a pool who follows this restriction will be allowed to re-fill the pool after the repair.

For access to the complete Emergency Ordinance 2013 - 04, visit www.cityofaltus.org