Document text
Battle against the sun By AMBER FOSSEN Ashland Daily Tidings High temperatures equal increased water use. Ashland residents are using close to 7 million gallons of water per day, prompting city officials to remind locals to conserve water despite the scorching heat. The goal is to reduce water usage and maintain an average use below 6 million gallons per day. According to Public Works Director Paula Brown, winter water use is a little more than 2 million gallons per day. Most of the summer increase is due to keeping plants and grass healthy. "Ninety percent of that extra 5 million gallons is outdoor irrigation," Brown said. According to National Weather Service officials, temperatures are expected to reach 104 degrees today in Ashland, with high to mid-'90s lasting through Tuesday. As the heat remains, city officials urge conservative water use. "Over watering is what we're trying to avoid," Brown said. "We're not asking people not to water, just water wisely." In July 2002, the city averaged about 5.9 million gallons per day compared to the 6.2 million per day this July. Lithia Park uses almost 150,000 gallons of city water per day. However, the green grass, plants and flora are maintained with the minimum amount of water the plants require. According to Eric Setterberg, interim parks superintendent and irrigation specialist for the city, a weather station measures the daily evapotranspiration - how much water plants use through growth and how much water is lost through heat and humidity. The information is then sent to a computer which controls the park's centralized irrigation system. "It's the best way," Setterberg said. "You're really only replacing the water the plants actually use and that's the desired outcome." While the majority of Ashland is served by the city's water, more than 100 customers tap into the Talent Irrigation District including both the Oak Knoll Golf course, North Mountain Park, Ashland Middle School fields and Southern Oregon University. Bruce Moats, SOU Physical Plant director, said while the university has not taken any specific steps to conserve, it is using less water than it is allocated. "It's a fair amount of water but we are down to using about half-acre foot per day or about 175,000 gallons," Moats said, adding the university is authorized to use up to a full-acre foot per day. Moats said 90 percent of the campus is irrigated by TID water and that 60 to 65 percent of the university's landscape is watered on time clocks. He said in the past, the university has stopped watering parts of the campus to help conserve. City officials said they do not anticipate requirements for curtailment of water use. However, restrictions could be considered if residents are unable to meet conservation goals. City water customers can help reduce city water use by: o irrigating outside before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. to reduce evaporation; o checking sprinkler systems to ensure water saturates plants not sidewalks; o and limiting use of city water to wash cars or other vehicles without using a shutoff nozzle. To learn more on how to help conserve, see www.ashland.or.us/conservation LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -