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Beat the Heat and Conserve Water
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Beat the Heat and Conserve Water
July 6, 2012
By Jessica Root
of the Tribune
There’s no question that it’s summer in Lee’s Summit. The temperature will remain in the 90s for weeks to come, and rain isn’t in the forecast. That’s the ideal summer vacation atmosphere, but it’s becoming difficult for the city.
The Mayor issued an emergency proclamation enacting mandatory water restrictions on July 4. With hot, dry weather, sprinklers and irrigation systems are used to keep lawns looking fresh and green, but with the disconnection from the Kansas City pump station, Lee’s Summit’s water supply needs to be conserved for domestic needs and fire protection.
Mark Schaufler, Director of Water Utilities in Lee’s Summit, stresses that the water restriction means that the use of unnecessary water is prohibited. “It’s very important to prioritize our water use. We need to maintain what we have,” Schaufler said.
Lee’s Summit experienced a voluntary water restriction in August of 2006. Schaufler remembers that the citizens cooperated with conserving water to meet the 25.5 million gallon need per day.
Water Utilities has made hundreds of contacts with customers, including home owners associations, asking them to shut off sprinkler and irrigation systems until the water restriction is lifted.
The mandatory water restriction was issued due to the failure of a major Kansas City supply line as well as increased water demands and decreasing storage levels.
Kansas City lost a pump station on Tuesday, July 3, which impacted Lee’s Summit’s water supply. During the boil advisory, Lee’s Summit was isolated from the water supply, which reduced the overall water supply even more. At 2:00 pm on Wednesday, July 4, Lee’s Summit Water Utilities anticipated reestablishing a connection with the Kansas City supply line, but another problem occurred.
Lee’s Summit has contracts to purchase 21.5 million gallons a day from suppliers, but at this time only about 16 million gallons per day are being provided. Water demand remains at approximately 20 million gallons per day.
Lawn watering is prohibited. If necessary, a hand-held watering can or a hose that has a hand-operated trigger mechanism can be used to water plants, trees and landscaping. Those who violate this policy will be warned once, and if a violation occurs again, their water supply will be shut off and they will be fined up to $500.
So for an indefinite amount of time, playing in the sprinkler will not be an option for cooling off during the Extreme Heat Advisory. There are, however, other ways to “beat the heat” while still conserving water.
There are cooling centers around Lee’s Summit including the two Mid-Continent Libraries. Legacy Park Community Center, Gamber Center and Summit Waves are also cooling centers that are offering reduced single visit fees.
These centers are part of Lee’s Summit’s Beat the Heat Policy. For a list of cooling centers in the Kansas City metro area, call the United Way at 211.
Schaufler explained that even though Summit Waves is a water park, it uses recycled water so it doesn’t violate the water restriction. Car washes around Lee’s Summit also use recycled water so the water restriction doesn’t affect them either.
For more information about the mandatory water restriction, call Lee’s Summit’s Water Utilities Department at (816) 969-1900.
Jessica Root is an intern for the Lee's Summit Tribune and a senior at LSN.
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