Although a second July rainstorm passed through the area late yesterday, very little fell on Old City Lake. Measured rainfall Friday at the water plant was just one-tenth of an inch, while the Kentucky Mesonet weather station north of town near Mattoon recorded almost a full inch of rain.
Since the beginning of July, the weather station has recorded 5.1 inches of rain while Marion’s raw water lake – only about six miles south – has gotten just over one half of an inch.
A good portion of Kentucky is in near drought stage, including a swath of Crittenden County that includes the troubled water system on the south side of town.
As the water shortage moves toward its 12th week, more farm tankers will begin hauling today to help keep up with evaporation and perhaps add a bit of depth to the lake. Otherwise, the county water district continues to up its contribution to the city. It reached 125 gallons per minute on Friday, which is about 60 percent of the town’s demand with Stage 3 Conservation Measures in place.
Some other new developments late this week included a renewed look at Lake George’s potential to catch rainwater in part of the basin that was unaffected by the levee leak. More on that later.
Stay tuned to The Crittenden Press and The Press Online for the very latest information about the water crisis.
